Postcolonialism and Imperialism

Postcolonialism

• Postcolonialism refers to the historical period or state of affairs following Western colonialism, as well as the project to reclaim and rethink the history and agency of people subordinated under various forms of imperialism.
• It signals a possible future of overcoming colonialism, but new forms of domination or subordination can emerge in the wake of such changes.

Enlightenment and Empire

• The Enlightenment era was also an age of empire, and the connection between the two is more than incidental.
• Postcolonial theorists view the legacy of the Enlightenment as ambiguous due to its association with empire.

Decolonization and Postcolonialism

• Two significant periods for postcolonialism include the British disengagement from its second empire (19th and 20th centuries) and the decolonization movements of the 1960s and '70s in Africa and elsewhere.
• The decolonization movements of the 1960s and '70s led to the formal declaration of international principles and instruments of decolonization, and the application of the language of national self-determination to liberationist movements.

Cultural and Linguistic Assertion

• Previously subjugated individuals sought to assert control over not only territorial boundaries but also their language and history.
• This process was triggered by struggles for political and economic independence, as well as cultural liberation.

Indigenous Peoples and Postcolonialism

• The term postcolonialism is sometimes used to refer to the struggles of indigenous peoples in the 21st century.
• However, the term may be less apt due to the minority status and vulnerability of indigenous peoples, even within decolonized states.
• The history of imperialism is complex, and the interpretation of self-determination and self-government within the international system is nuanced.

Persistence of Empire and Resistance

• One of the central themes of postcolonial scholarship is the persistence of empire—and resistance to it—in human history.
• The legacy of the Enlightenment forms an indispensable feature of the present, and universal categories and concepts have been used to criticize imperialism and social injustices.