Cultures in Post Colonial Communities - Essay Example

Dong Chen Eng 1A Cultures in Post Colonial Communities Cultures in post colonial communities are different than native or colonial communities. These communities have been oppressed, and then gained their freedom. The post colonial culture has been tainted forever, for bad and sometimes good. The colonization and decolonization process leaves the native culture forever altered. The post colonial communities chosen are Antigua and Sri Lanka. Both of these cities only represent two post colonial communities amid a great number. A definition of post colonial is the following, “in a very general sense, it is the study of the interactions between European nations and the societies they colonized in the modern period” (Deepika). This term post colonial is a loose definition. For example: the United States might also be described as a postcolonial country, but it is not perceived as such because of its position of power in world politics in the present, its displacement of native American populations, and its annexation of other parts of the world in what may be seen as a form of colonization. The term post colonial means a native people breaking free from an oppressor. America is not post colonial, because the Native Americans never conquered the settlers from Europe. However, in America’s defense, an attempt to create a melting pot has been attempted, although this has not been completely successful. Many societies can be named as post colonial communities, from islands in the Caribbean, India, Algeria, and Nigeria. One author explains: The European empire is said to have held sway over more than 85% of the rest of the globe by the time of the First World War, having consolidated its control over several centuries. The sheer extent and duration of the European empire and its disintegration after the Second World War have led to widespread interest in postcolonial literature and criticism in our own times. (Deepika). When a country is liberated, either by force or peacefully, from colonists, some colonists remain. Not only do some colonists remain, but the traditions the native country endured remain. The European colonization of many nations transformed the native culture, and the colonizers actually living in these countries irrevocably. In a post colonial community a division exists between the natives and former colonists. Colonists want to control natives, to civilize them. The text book states Westerners see, “former colonial subjects as Others; as people different from “us”; as those in need of Western guidance, expertise, and guidance” (George and Trimbur, 522). An example of trying to civilize natives in a post colonial community is India. Robert Young writes: In the early days of independence, often over-ambitious and even unnecessary industrial projects, as well as forms of cultural imperialism such as Christian evangelism, the Peace Corps, or control of the media, all have the effect of establishing and maintaining control. (47) As long as Westerners see natives as primitive, ignoring the native culture, no peaceful merging of the cultures will exist. The literature will show the sharp cultural differences between former colonists and natives in the text below. The first example of a post colonial society in literature comes from a chapter in Annie John called, Columbus in Chains by Jamaica Kincaid. Christopher Columbus and slavery are two issues the author writes about in this chapter. The book is a narrative about a girl named Annie John. Annie John is a native of Antigua. As a native she feels differently about the history learnt in a school created by colonists. Annie’s delight at the picture of “Columbus in Chains” was evident. She thought: the usually quarrelsome Columbus had got into a disagreement with people more quarrelsome and a man named Bobadilla, representing King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella, had sent him back to Spain fettered. (Kincaid, 527). Annie thought that Columbus locked in chains was a good thing, because he was the one who helped enslave her people. Just because Annie was free does not mean she has forgotten her ancestors. To prove this thought, Annie wrote under the picture of “Columbus in Chains”, “The Great Man Can No Longer Just Get Up and Go” (Kincaid, 528). Annie thought Columbus got the kind of justice he gave. Annie’s teacher did not feel the same way. She was appalled at Annie defacing her book. Annie knew Miss Edward would react badly. Miss Edward reacted with rage upon learning Annie would be so disrespectful to “write under the picture of Columbus "The Great Man . . ." etc. was just too much. I had gone too far this time, defaming one of the great men in history, Christopher Columbus, discoverer of my island that was my home” (Kincaid, 532). To Miss Edward and the white classmates of Annie, Christopher Columbus was a great explorer, but to Annie he was an oppressor. These two points of view are cultural and directly opposite of one another. Another import cultural difference between colonist and native cultures is the view of the present. Annie’s thoughts clarify this idea, “ancestors had been the masters, while ours had been the slaves. She had such a lot to be ashamed of, and by being with us every day she was always being reminded" (Kincaide, 526). Not all colonists are ashamed their ancestors were slaves, but some are. This proud attitude in ancestors of slaves is evident in post colonial societies and even in America. Although these attitudes are present, they are rarely talked about. The colonists want to forget, but the natives never want to forget. This is a cultural gap that has no foreseen bridge. Canagarajah’s short story, “An English Lesson in Sri Lank” is another model of how diverse native and colonial views can be. In the story, a teacher called Mrs. K. teaches an English class to young adults in Sri Lanka. Ravi is one of the students. Mrs. K believes “the English language in particular, could find meaning and hope in an otherwise desperate situation” (Canagarajah, 228). Ravi feels conflicted, “English represented a world that was that remote and threatening, and far removed from his family and friends” (Canagarajah, 228). However, the English language represents a rich world with no worries. This is a basic argument that happens between Westerners and natives. Whereas the children from Sri Lanka are in the middle of a war zone, the most important thing on a Westerners mind is to teach English. The natives are more concerned with food, poverty, and the armed conflict. What good is the English if the native is dead? The question becomes how former colonists can communicate with natives coming together in agreement. Many authors disagree about this subject. One author states: With increasing institutional acceptance, postcolonial discourse has become a privileged locus of voices of difference, opposition, and resistance. Yet the limitations and biases of the postcolonial perspective have also been persuasively argued in various critical studies. (Lia, 31). When invalidating natives’ feelings by arguing that their experiences have “limitations and biases” a solution to opening a discourse is not possible. Former colonists and Westerns could also be accused of “limitations and biases” when discussing post colonial communities. The other point of view can be explained by: Still others berate the tendency in the Western academy to be more receptive to postcolonial literature and theory that is compatible with postmodern formulations of hybridity, syncretization, and pastiche while ignoring the critical realism of writers more interested in the specifics of social and racial oppression. (Deepika) A common ground has not yet been conceived for natives and former colonists to appreciate each other’s culture. Despite the biases and prejudices of both sides, many natives have been writing their experiences fictionally and non-fictionally. Vikram Seth, Salman Rushdie, and Amitav Ghosh, Jamaica Kincaid, and many others write about the plight of their people in post colonial communities. Nyla Khan suggests Ghosh’s motives for this novel are, “to threaten the safely-guarded domain of privilege and power by demanding equality for human beings of all races, religions, cultures, and ethnicities” (71). Ghosh, like the others, are hoping that a Western who reads their novels will stop and think beyond their safe world. The one aspect of post colonial life not discussed here is the mixture between the two different cultures. Going back to “Columbus in Chains”, even the children felt the differences between native and Westerner. Both Western children in “Columbus in Chains” are held in low esteem by Annie. One was too bossy and good, the other was stupid. The only time Annie wanted to be with these Westerners was to torment. However, the teacher Mrs. Edwards thought poorly of Annie. The segregation in post colonial communities is real, not just physically, but culturally as well. Post colonial studies of culture need to answer the following questions: How did the experience of colonization affect those who were colonized while also influencing the colonizers? How were colonial powers able to gain control over so large a portion of the non-Western world? What traces have been left by colonial education, science and technology in postcolonial societies? How do these traces affect decisions about development and modernization in postcolonies? What were the forms of resistance against colonial control? How did colonial education and language influence the culture and identity of the colonized? How did Western science, technology, and medicine change existing knowledge systems? What are the emergent forms of postcolonial identity after the departure of the colonizers? To what extent has decolonization (a reconstruction free from colonial influence) been possible? Are Western formulations of postcolonialism overemphasizing hybridity at the expense of material realities? Should decolonization proceed through an aggressive return to the pre-colonial past (related topic: Essentialism)? How do gender, race, and class function in colonial and postcolonial discourse? Are new forms of imperialism replacing colonization and how? (Deepika) By answering all of these questions, or at least keeping those in mind while reading post colonial literature will help both cultures. The native culture can express the rage and sorrow that has been their ancestor’s burden. The Westerner can learn what it is like to be native. Post colonial communities struggle, but there are still countries under colonial rule. Aruba still flies the Dutch flag. One reason for colonial rule in the 21st century could be: the overhasty celebration of independence masks the march of neocolonialism in the guise of modernization and development in an age of increasing globalization and transnationalism; meanwhile, there are colonized countries that are still under foreign control. (Deepika) There is much work to be done to free natives from colonial rule. Post colonial community culture should be studied, but so should current colonial cultures... More post colonial community literature, movies, websites, songs, and testimony need to be heard; both native and Western stories need to be conveyed. When painful issues are exposed, maybe a meaningful discourse can occur between the two cultures. If the two cultures can learn to tolerate, even appreciate each other’s cultures without force, maybe a change can occur. Westerners can learn that natives are equal, apologizing for continuing prejudices. The maybe the shame some Westerners feel will leave. Lastly, maybe natives can forgive Westerners that are truly apologetic. Then the two cultures can appreciate each other’s richness. Works Cited Canagarajah, A. Suresh. “An English Lesson in Sri Lank” George 527-529 Deepika, Bahri. “Introduction to Postcolonial Studies.” Fowler Museum of Cultural History. 15 Nov. 2006. http://www.english.emory.edu/Bahri/Intro.html. George, Dianna, and John Trimbur. Eds. Reading Culture: Contexts for Critical Reading and Writing 6th ed. New York: Pearson/ Longman, 2007 Khan, Dominique Sila. Crossing the Threshold : Understanding Religious Identities in South Asia. United Kingdom: Islamic Publications Ltd., 2004. Kincaid, Jamaica. “Columbus in Chains” George 522-527 Lai, Ming-yan. “The Intellectual’s Deaf-Mute, or (How) Can We Speak beyond Postcoloniality?” Cultural Critique. 39 (Spring, 1998): 31-58. Young, Robert. Postcolonialism. An Historical Introduction. Cornwall: Blackwell Publishers Ltd, 2001. Read More