Postcolonial Approach Research Articles

Biomedical domination in nursing: a contribution to the emancipation of nurses

Nursing practice and the knowledge that supports it developed in close connection with biomedical practices/knowledge and physicians. This interprofessional and interdisciplinary relationship can be analyzed based on a critical and postcolonial reading, which seeks to emancipate and assert a disciplinary space for nursing that is both academic and professional. This text employs this approach and highlights the biomedical grounds of nursing practices and knowledge. It explores, in particular, power relations between physicians and nurses, patriarchal and gender relations, and conflicts in the definition of the nurse’s role. It provides a greater understanding of the aims of a postcolonial approach and its relevance in analyzing the discipline of nursing.

Affective politics of migration control in Turkey: a postcolonial approach

ABSTRACT There is an increasing call for addressing the Eurocentrism of research on the external dimension of European Union (EU) migration and border policies and practices. A growing body of work attempts to remedy the discipline’s Eurocentrism through postcolonial theory. This article argues that more needs to be done to unsettle the Eurocentrism of migration studies with regard to the question of non-EU political subjectivity. The article adopts an alternative conception of subjectivity, which looks at the “affective” dimension of international relations. Through a close engagement with postcolonial studies on the question of political subjectivity, the article underscores the significance of history and historical relationships in constituting an affective politics of borders and migration in the non-EU world. The argument is illustrated through an empirical focus on Turkey. Drawing on interviews with Turkish border officials, the article aims to contribute to the literature in two ways. First, it argues that affective attachments shape how Turkish actors perceive and attribute meaning to national borders and human mobility across the national territory. Second, and relatedly, Turkish actors’ identification with and positioning towards the EU’s migration control regime are products of affective attachments rooted in historical experiences and encounters with Europe.

Gendering EU security strategies: a feminist postcolonial approach to the EU as a (global) security actor

ABSTRACT This paper explores the relationship between the EU’s current re-imagining as a global security actor and its stance as a global promoter of progressive gender norms. For this purpose, we analyse how gender and race are constitutive of the meanings of security and Europe in major EU security strategies, and how this relates to the way gender (equality) is addressed as a policy issue. We find that, in the context of waning liberal world order and manifold internal and external crises, EU security actorness is constructed through narratives of masculinisation that entail feminisation of the EU’s own past as a “peace project” and “soft power”; Othering of non-EU spaces and subjects; colonial perspectives on the EU’s role in the world as “White Man’s burden” and the reconstruction of whiteness through notions of “neutral” masculinities associated with technocratic professionalism, superior knowledge production, and market rationality. This intersectional gendering of EU security limits the emancipatory potential of gender policy through the racialisation of Other women and the simultaneous invisibilisation of postcolonial structures of inequality. Our analysis provides the groundwork for addressing how and why the EUropean security project continues to reproduce intersectional power relations and insecurities, despite commitments to gender equality and non-discrimination.

Sandinista Revolution: a Postcolonial Approach to USA Interventionism

"The Sandinista Revolution was a watershed moment in Nicaraguan history that forever altered the course of the country's history. First, it dismantled the Somoza family's dynasty, which had ruled for 43 years, not all of them consecutively, and established a political system dependent on their despotic regime. Second, and more significantly for international relations, the Sadinistas' denunciation of the neo-colonialism committed by the leader of the western democracies was a direct attack on US interventionism in Central America. Unfortunately, it was also the point at which the FSLN established its roots in Nicaraguan society and transitioned from a socialist movement to an authoritarian regime under Daniel Ortega. In order to analyse these evolutions of events I propose a postcolonial theoretical approach. The fact that postcolonialism is a relatively new addition to the international relations theory that first appeared in literature is one of the primary justifications for why this theoretical approach relies on information from native authors. This theory mainly focuses on the former colonies and criticises how the colonial past and present interactions with the former colonists have an impact on how those colonies have developed. I will examine the key ideas of these approaches in the international arena with respect to the particular case of the Sandinista Revolution in Nicaragua. Keywords: Latin America, postcolonialism, Sandinista Revolution, discourse analysis, United States of America."

Sweet Rice and Postcolonialism: Uncovering the Layers of Identity, Cultural Hybridity, and Self-independence in Amir Hussain's Short Story

Amir Hussain's stories challenge dominant narratives and explore postcolonial identity. His recipe for sweet rice offers insights into cultural assimilation and the importance of self-discovery. We applied a postcolonial approach whichseek to develop their literary voices in regions once described in colonialism as “primitive” or “savage”. They explore themes of self-independence and cultural displacement, offering critiques of colonialism and its ongoing effects on individual agency and identity. Objectives of this paper include a systematic analysis of the story to unwrap the elements of identity crisis in Amir Hussain's literary work. Identity in postcolonial concepts is complicated, linked to the “other” and difficult to define. Sweet Rice portrays the struggle and identity crisis faced by immigrants, and the suppression of indigenous culture and knowledge by colonialism. Displacement leads to identity fluidity, nostalgia, and reinvention as a means of reclaiming agency and autonomy. Study methodology includes the thematic analysis of the story with an outlook of postcolonial approach. We concluded that Shireen's "Sweet Rice" story shows the challenges of cultural identity and displacement in a globalized world. The journey this character underscores the intricate nature of upholding customary beliefs and self-sufficiency. It instills confidence and authority within oneself. Honoring cultural heritage while chasing after personal interests can result in a fulfilling existence.

Bukhara and the World through the Views of Jadid and Traveler Mirzo Sirodjiddin Hakim

The article examines the combined travelogue of Bukhara traveler, Jadid and doctor Mirzo Sirodjiddin Hakim - “Tuhafi ahli Bukhoro [Gifts to Bukharians].” The text written in Persian and published in 1912, with the permission of the imperial authorities in Bukhara, combines a wide range of lexical constructions of the modern era and traditional Arabic-language structures. The purpose of the article is to analyze the subjective ideas of Mirzo Sirodjiddin Hakim of Bukhara, the West, the East, and Russia. The structure of the article is determined by the need to reconstruct the biography of the author of the travelogue and, to identify the features of the social and cultural context that influenced the formation of his worldview. The “Tuhafi ahli Bukhoro” was used as the main source in the article, and while an additional book published in Tehran in 1990 on the text was used as an additional comparative source. The methodological basis of the research is through both biographical and post-colonial approaches. The author reveals that the ideas expressed by Mirzo Sirodjiddin Hakim are largely the result of the experience and practices acquired from his travels. These identified narratives, through which Hakim combined his own knowledge of regional cultures, uses Islamic rhetoric, as well as modern discourse to express an assessment of the position of the Islamic world in the context of rivalry with Christian civilization. Whereas Mirzo Sirojiddin Hakim considered Europe to be the ideal of a progressive society, he perceived Russia as a more important civilizer of the Asian peoples and believed that the progressive future of Bukhara needed to be closer associated with Russia.

Diaconia and Identity: Agency of the Marginalised

The question under investigation relates to the agency of the marginalised as a model for taking responsibility for care and progress. This complex phenomenon of existence outside of the centre will be critically evaluated. Two notions of imago Dei—Wentzel’s image of God and Kelsey’s images of Christ—indicate the debates around the positioning of the marginalised. These debates are becoming an emerging field of interest within the development and diaconia fields of research. A growing interest is in the escalation and unprecedented poverty that some parts of the world are experiencing. The division amongst and between nations is growing rapidly, never seen in modern history. The interest of this contribution lies specifically within the intersections of identity and agency. I seek to explore Christian anthropology within and concerning the rest of God’s creation. Questions such as the absolute doctrinal formulation of what it means to be created in the image and likeness of God, how the doctrine relates to contemporary challenges such as the destructiveness of the created order by human beings, the oppressive and exploitative political and economic systems; and the continuation of the doctrine with situations of poverty will be considered. Using a post-colonial approach to Christian anthropology, I will argue that the marginalised as part of the creation of God has the call and gifts to take responsibility, the right and the dignity for care and development. Such an approach redefines marginalisation as a space of liberation. The positioning of the marginalised in relation to the centre and the agency of the poor will be correlated with Radford Ruether’s dialectical approach to what it means to be the church. Radford Ruether’s approach forms the basis for Dietrich’s view of the positioning of the marginalized within the diaconal perspective.

Habsburg Colonial Redux: Reconsidering Colonialism and Postcolonialism in Habsburg/Austrian History

Colonial and postcolonial approaches to both Austrian and Habsburg history represent an opportunity to reconfigure not only Habsburg but also modern Austrian history and its relation to the wider world. In many ways, postcolonial perspectives force us to reconcile with internal dynamics within Central Europe, while expanding upon our understandings of colonial entanglements in the Habsburg lands leads us to consider the global elements in a region too often neglected in imperial and world historiography. By bringing together recent developments in both fields, this article argues for greater inclusion and adaptation of these perspectives in Austrian/Habsburg history.

The Spatial Nature of Trust in Cosmopolitan Education

This paper investigates the core moment of cosmopolitan education by considering trust in education. Critical and postcolonial approaches recognize that dialogue plays a crucial role in cosmopolitan education. However, dialogue is not possible without sharing a fundamental platform. Trust could encourage us to construct this platform, and should thus be examined in an educational context. Previous studies on trust in education have mainly focused on the asymmetric relationship between educators and children, offering the impression that trust strengthens authoritarian order. However, in this paper I propose that trust in education needs to be recognized for containing a spatial and contextual nature, that is, a vertical trust between educators and children, and a horizontal trust especially between friends. Such spatial trust is based on trust in matters and therefore an open trust that embraces all matters in the world. This spatial trust could contribute to reinforcing cosmopolitan education, and furthermore, to formulating a post-anthropocentric cosmopolitan education.

Race, Ethnicity and Family in Late Antique Judaism and Early Christianity

Race, Ethnicity, Judaism and Christianity are problematic labels, and so is family. Recent postcolonial approaches have attempted to deconstruct them, not without facing the inherent paradox of the danger of re-essentialising them. This paper approaches these concepts retrospectively to show the complexities and to warn of their anachronistic use.

Contemporary Italian Women Artists of African Descent: A Transnational and Intersectional Approach to their Lives and Works

ABSTRACT This article considers the life and work of Afrodescendant Italian artists Iris Peynado, Nadia Kibout and Nadia Ali. Through my interviews with them and a critical analysis of their films, I underline the cultural value of their achievements and emphasize the discriminations that black women face in contemporary society and in the cinema industry. Racial, class and gender biases often are subjects of their filmmaking, and offer a critical site to reflect on the need for further social and political change. Their collective experience is seen in light of a transnational spatial and temporal continuity between black Italians and the diasporic communities around the world. A variety of nuanced cultural expressions makes it inaccurate to consider Italian Afrodescendant artists as a monolithic group of women having a single identity. In spite of societal biases, they are powerfully emerging as filmmakers, actresses, and activists. They contribute to our understanding that a true postcolonial approach requires a more fluid and flexible consideration of Italian identity as a transnational and multi-faceted expression of a fertile intersection of people of diverse genders, races, and religions.

Archiving, exhibiting, and curating the history of feminisms in the global twentieth century: an introduction

ABSTRACT Following the ‘archival turn’ of the 1990s and early 2000s, scholars have understood archives as entwined in epistemic hierarchies of power. The study of gender and sexuality, alongside postcolonial approaches were central to this critical shift, advancing methods that both challenged the archive as a fixed entity of historical truth and broadened perceptions of where history is made. Queer and feminist historians have since drawn attention to the archive as a site of subject-formation and radical possibilities. Building on this foundation, this special issue offers fresh perspectives on the intersection of feminism and the archive. Situating feminism as practice, politics, and method, the contributions explore how archival and curatorial practices have shaped the history of feminisms, and how feminist methods have addressed archival lacunae. This introduction discusses the collected essays in the context of the historiographies of archiving, gender, and feminism.

A review of postcolonial and decolonial science teaching approaches for secondary school from a European perspective

ABSTRACT This paper analyses the current state of postcolonial and decolonial science teaching, based on a systematic review of the literature, with a special focus on the European context. It shows that currently, a very narrow view on postcolonial science teaching prevails, limiting its scope to former colonies. A total of 227 articles published 2013–2022 were identified using meta-interpretation combined with systematic searches. 43 of these articles were selected for the sample and analysed. Included were only articles reporting on teaching practice in regular science classes in secondary school. The analysis identified as the main theme the question of how to coordinate Indigenous knowledge systems and Western science in the classroom. Further, translanguaging and pedagogy of justice are used as approaches toward decolonising science education. One striking finding in the analysis is the absence of de-/postcolonial approaches from European countries. This indicates that teaching practice in Europe might currently not undergo decolonisation. This contradicts Aimé Césaire’s observation that both the colonised and the colonisers were decivilised during colonialism and need decolonisation [Césaire, A. (1955). Discours sur le colonialisme [Discourse on colonialism] (6th ed.). Présence Africaine]. In this article, the different approaches toward decolonisation and an outline of decolonial science teaching for the European context are presented.

Questioning the Canon: Counter-Discourse and the Minority Perspective in Contemporary German Literature by Christine Meyer

Reviewed by: Questioning the Canon: Counter-Discourse and the Minority Perspective in Contemporary German Literature by Christine Meyer Bethany A. Morgan Questioning the Canon: Counter-Discourse and the Minority Perspective in Contemporary German Literature. By Christine Meyer. Translated by Dustin Lovett and Tegan Raleigh. Boston: De Gruyter, 2021. Pp. 343. Cloth $99.00. ISBN 978-3110674361. Christine Meyer’s Questioning the Canon masterfully treats the representative works of Rafik Schami, Emine Sevgi Özdamar, and Feridun Zaimoglu through a postcolonial methodology to reveal their overlooked counter-discursive aspects. In response to a field of scholarship that lags behind its Francophone and Anglophone counterparts, Meyer calls for the necessity of utilizing a postcolonial approach to Germanophone literature and its authors originating from stigmatized countries. This work questions the power relations between the center, the canon, and the margins. Utilizing Genette’s theories of “hypertext” and “hypotext,” Meyer shows which authors have written into the canon and essentially asserted themselves as “successors” to canonical authors. Meyer exposes the problems with a literary canon as a collection of texts approved for universality by cultural and academic institutions. From a position inferior to the main subject of discourse in canonical texts, the un-, under-, or misrepresented, such as women and ethnic and sexual minorities, question the ability of canonical authors to universally represent the human experience. For her methodology, Meyer convincingly demonstrates both the validity and importance of approaching German-language “migration literature” from a postcolonial perspective, which originated with “orientalism” and has developed through “mimicry” and “third space,” “subalternity,” and “writing back.” The main difference between the German-speaking canon and the Anglophone or Francophone canon lies in the aims and discourse itself. Rather than uncovering a colonialist or racist ideology in the canon, German-language authors of “migration literature” endeavor to “de-ethnicize” and “denaturalize” the canon by uncovering cosmopolitan and hybrid elements already within. The German canon does not contain the same cultural imperialism or notions of expansionism, but rather focuses on its own “cultural nation.” Moreover, Meyer points out that Germany’s immigration population does not come from colonized subjects but rather from Turkey or from nations conquered by other colonizers. Despite these differences in colonial and immigration histories, Meyer does not excuse the German canon from its share of literary protests but rather [End Page 342] shows how a postcolonial approach unveils a power struggle between the margins and center analogous to that between writers in post-colonial regions and the colonizer. In considering the conditions under which Germany’s contemporary literary canon has developed, the fraught twentieth century required the redefinition of a common patrimony and cultural foundation upon which to build its Kulturnation. Schami, Özdamar, Zaimoglu, and others have entered intertextual dialogue not only with canonical German authors but also with Shakespeare and authors of the larger Western canon. By rereading authors such as Adelbert von Chamisso, Heinrich Heine, Else Lasker-Schüler, and Johann Wolfgang von Goethe in a “minor” mode, contemporary authors of “migration literature” recontextualize these authors into a decentered space. Beginning with chapter two, Meyer introduces the counter-discursive strategies of her representative authors, including metatextuality and rewriting. Continuing through chapter six, Meyer involves us in her fruitful close readings of numerous texts to show how they write back from the East, test national traditions by diversity, write oppositionally, and utilize a bottom-up approach. Rafik Schami even writes directly to some of these authors. He adopts the position of a grandchild to Chamisso in the epistolary preface to Chamisso’s 1990 biography. To address “Harry Heine,” Schami chooses an interview in which he and Heine realize they have political persecution, exile, and marked status as a historical minority in common. Meyer reads Schami’s epistolary and interview writings as postcolonial in that he assumes a position of successor and kin rather than outsider. In Schami’s corrective (re)reading of European classics such as the fairy tales and Dracula, he rewrites the Wolf as the misunderstood outsider and the Count as misrepresented. Meyer argues that these texts and yet another text in which a fictional sultan evaluates Goethe’s corpus all point to Schami’s postcolonial tendencies to scrutinize the canon and to...

An Eriksonian Reading of The Body by Hanif Kureishi: Integrity Versus Despair

The ageing body and old age issues are among the prominent concerns of Western civilization throughout 21st century. The body, as the new raw material of consumer society, is perceived as something that can be changed as a result of medical developments and even bought and sold like other commodities. Furthering the cause of this transformations Erik Erikson’s psychosocial theory which evokes the quintessence of social pressure on elder people may help to receive the complexity of the issue. In his theory, Erikson posits eight stages of development with specific tasks and crisis peculiar to each stage throughout the life span. This paper represents an attempt to examine Hanif Kureishi’s The Body novella within the framework of Eriksonian psychosocial theory of human development. Admittedly, Kureishi’s short fiction appears to be in the main dealt with ethnicity and identity matters that render the postcolonial approach. Yet, this study is significant in that it deals with the pressures of society, becoming increasingly severe against old people, on ageing, which points out the last stage of Erikson, integrity vs. despair. It also reveals that past experiences and personal desires affect someone’s psyche. Through The Body, the tie between society and individual, desires and realities, appearance and internal existence have been affirmed. It may be concluded when Hanif Kureishi’s The Body is evaluated within the framework of Erikson’s psychosocial development theory, the accuracy of the effects of socio-cultural factors on personality development has been determined.

Constructing Identity among Chinese American through Jean Kwok Novels Mambo in Chinatown: Postcolonial Study

This study aims to see how Chinese American people as immigrants in America construct their identity while facing two different cultures in society. This research is a descriptive qualitative study and using postcolonial approach. This study used novel by Mambo in Chinatown by Jean Kwok as the main data. Another document, journal, and author’s interview as the secondary data. Ambivalence by Homi K. Bhabha will used as the main theory of this research. The main data collected after the researcher goes through close reading of the novel. The result of this study show that ambivalence occur through this novel. This study also highlights that the struggle of the character in the novel reflect the reality life of Chinese American immigrant in America. Seen from their arrival in America and how the first-generation immigrant transferring Chinese culture and value to their children as the second-generation in America.

Mimikri Pribumi dan Kolonial Belanda dalam Novel "Student Hidjo" karya Mas Marco Kartodikromo: Kajian Postkolonialisme

This article will describe how the form of mimicry or imitation was done by the natives to the Dutch and the Dutch to the natives in the novel Student Hidjo by Mas Marco Kartodikromo. The purpose of this study was to determine the intrinsic elements and forms of mimicry or imitation of the characters in the novel. The method used is descriptive with a qualitative form. The approach used in this study is a postcolonial approach. Based on the analysis, several forms of mimicry or imitation were found in the Student Hidjo novel, including; mimicry of the use of language, mimicry of equipment for human life, mimicry of customs, and mimicry of science.

(De) Construction of State Identity through Postcolonial Examination of Geography: A Case Study of Nepal

Postcolonialism on geographical studies encompasses scholarships that draw on postcolonial perspectives to challenge forms of colonial and imperial domination of geographical narratives. The studies within and beyond geography have construed how colonial discourse and discrimination have distinctive spatial dimensions and special effects on the (de)construction of the identity of the states. Thus, applying postcolonial lenses and examining colonial and Eurocentric geographical narratives, the paper aims to deconstruct the state identity. First, the paper introduces postcolonial studies to geography by way of a review of the literature. Then, the paper reviews the Eurocentric geographical architecture to establish modern geography as a western or colonial creation. Additionally, the paper provides a colonial justification for those geographical constructs and paves the way for de-mapping the Eurocentric geographies. Notably, the paper takes a unique case study of Nepal and examines the colonial geographical frameworks the British East India Company constructed during colonisation in the Indian subcontinent. Likewise, the paper outlines the consequential colonial geographical narratives formed due to the colonial discourses and the postcolonial explanation of Nepal’s identity. In the end, the paper presents Nepal’s native geographical identity by comparing Divya Upadesh with that of the colonial narratives. In conclusion, the paper emphasises the Eurocentric and colonial geographical penetration into the knowledge system to construct a state identity and postcolonial approach as the method of deconstructing those identities of the state.

A critical examination of factors influencing international students’ choice to study in Ghanaian higher educational institutions

Recently, many Ghanaian universities have made considerable efforts to reposition themselves in the global space to attract international students. Although there have been some gains, the universities continue to attract a relatively lower number of students. We argue the need to critically examine the factors which motivate international students’ choice of study destinations to enhance the relevant approach and experience for them. Utilising a postcolonial approach and drawing on data from two Ghanaian institutions, this paper critically examines international students’ motivation to study in Ghana. The findings indicate that colonial legacies continue to characterise international students’ motivations. There is a need for institutions to create their niche and also provide relevant socio-cultural space to enhance students’ experiences. Global universities should cast off their negative perceptions of African universities and should provide greater and broader opportunities for their students to engage with these universities in their study-abroad programmes.

MEN’S SEXUAL TRAUMA RESISTANCE IN BLACK AMERICAN FOLKLORE: A POSTCOLONIAL CRITICISM OF NEGRO “WOMAN TALES”

The purpose of this paper “Men’s Sexual Trauma Resistance in Black American Folklore: A Postcolonial Criticism of Negro “Woman Tales” from the Gulf States” was to discuss the reflection of postcolonial sexual trauma and resistance to it through storytelling among African Americans in the Gulf States. The study was concerned with 3 folktales classified under the cycle “Woman Tales”. The folktales were selected from the collection made by Zora Neale Hurston in the southern states of Alabama, Florida, and Louisiana from 1927 to 1930 and compiled in the book Every Tongue Got to confess: Negro Folktales from the Gulf States (2001). The postcolonial approach and trauma theory based on the interpretative qualitative method and library research was used in the discussion of the selected folktales. It was found that the performance of the “Woman Tales” is informed by the black men’s traumatic memories of slavery and post-slavery emasculation. Black male narrators imitate trauma narratives in which they reflect male sexual trauma and recreate black woman identity to contain it. Through this imitation and reflection, the folktales challenge the legacy of the plantation patriarchy by reconstructing a woman's identity that is docile to black masculinity.