Post Colonialism Analysis

Introduction

In this essay, the definition of theory will be discussed. Jonathan Culler’s (1997) meaning of theory will form the foundation in the discussion and will be directly analysed and discussed. To support the definition and meaning of theory, I will use theoretical positions to discuss and how they relate to the theory. The theoretical positions that will be discussed are Feminism and Post colonialism. Culler’s summary of the meaning of theory will continuously be traced back in the above mentioned theoretical positions to support the general purpose of this essay. In the discussion of the theoretical movements, theorist’s concepts will be briefly discussed to support the meaning of theory.

1. Meaning of theory

Many scholars describe

As a literary theory it emphasises the issues concerning customs in colonialism and shows how the optic of ethnicity enables the colonial powers to represent, reflect, refract and make visible native cultures in inferior ways. It starts with the hypothesis that colonial socio cultural practices (writings, arts, legal systems, science) are always marginalised according to race and unequal where the colonial have power over the colonised. Post colonialism concentrate on the historical, political, cultural and textual consequences of the happenings between the east and the west, starting in the sixteenth century and continuing in recent times. In this sense Post colonialism is a term that can be used to describe a theoretical approach in literary and cultural studies which is used to describe the politics of transformational struggle to unreasonable and unequal forms of colonial practices. Post colonialism gets it main ideas from the concepts that developed during the anti-colonial struggles in the affected colonies. The theorist Edward Said writings including Orientalism (1978) started the general concepts in Post colonialism that we refer to today. The political and cultural changes that were proposed by anti-colonial movements that started in countries in the west formed the foundation of

In this viewpoint writings that are ‘anti-colonial’ which refuses the standings of colonial involvement might be regarded as post colonial because they went beyond colonialism and its ideologies, escaping its temptations to a point where they can mount a counter attack. Due to the problems caused by trying to classify post colonialism chronologically, it is best to define post colonialism as an historical period or a type of a literary/cultural style. (Child & Williams 1997: