The Cultural Factors in Postcolonial Theories and Applications

Abstract

This article focuses on the introduction of postcolonial theories and applications, aiming to stress the close relations between literature and cultural studies. The definitions of imperialism, colonialism, neocolonialism, and postcolonialism are discussed one by one in order to highlight the cultural factors of postcolonialism. Then Edward Said’s Orientalism, Gayatri Spivak’s subaltern voice, and Homi Bhabha’s hybridity are mentioned together with the cultural factors in their postcolonial theories. Finally the author takes George Bryon’s Don Juan, Charlotte Bronte’s Jane Eyre, and Vladimir Nabokov’s diasporic literature as specific samples for the three respective postcolonial theories, with the purpose to demonstrate the importance of cultural factors in literature studies.