Postcolonial Research Articles

The Disintegration of “Power/Knowledge”. Post-Socialist Studies as Decolonial Studies? A Personal Point of View. Part 3: Soft and Hard Variants of Post-Colonial Studies

The relationship between post-colonial and post-socialist studies is extraordinarily complex. Post-colonialists might argue that it can be approached from different perspectives as well as different power positions of knowledge production. As a result, I have chosen a specific trajectory that intersects and challenges the static power positions and is able to trace the debates and the unfolding of the complex problem over time. As a long-time scholar in this area, and moreover one who has taken many different roads in both fields, I will describe this relationship from the perspective of my own scholarly biography. However, my professional career has spanned several decades and surpassed the transient trends and fashions within this scholarly field. As such, it can only be depicted as an extensive narrative comprising multiple episodes, published in sequence across the double issue of the journal Studia Litteraria, devoted to forms of engagement in contemporary Southern and Western Slavic literatures. Part 3 discusses soft and hard variants of the complex “powers/knowledge”.

EVROCENTRIZAM I RECEPCIJA NEMAČKIH PISACA AZIJSKOG POREKLA U SRBIJI

Eurocentrism is a phenomenon in existence for hundreds of years already, yet it has become a subject of criticism only recently, mostly in context of orientalism and postcolonial studies. The aims of this paper are following: 1) to determine if works of German authors with Asian background display elements of eurocentrism; 2) to determine to which extent is Serbia eurocentric in its reception of those works. Based on an overview of literature (in May 2024) and applying the methods of classification, description and analysis, the scope of their reception in Serbia has been determined, as well as the common denominators in text choice. The preliminary results have shown that the reception of the German authors with Asian background is mostly scarce: only few translations and original works are available (four of sixteen authors both in German and in Serbian, two in Serbian, and two in German only) and scholarly papers on their texts are almost non-existеnt. The content of the chosen works is frequently political – autobiographical novels help readers to get familiar with their life stories in context of challenging political circumstances in their countries of origin, maintaining the negative notion of the East and thus contributing to eurocentric point of view. The other group of authors write against eurocentrism, and several of their books are available in Serbia: a fairy tale book by Schami (German), a novel on Dschinghis Khan by Galsan and works by Yoko Tawada (Serbian). Although the preliminary research on the reception of migration literature in Serbia is far from complete, it mirrors both tendencies in German-Asian literature: validation and criticism of eurocentrism. In conclusion, we should read, translate and discuss more of their books, in order to overcome the dark side of eurocentrism, and to contribute to building a global world based on mutual understanding, respect and trust, and not on hegemony.

The Disintegration of “Power/Knowledge”: Post-Socialist Studies as Decolonial Studies? A Personal Point of View. Part 2: The Socialist Expansion of Post-Colonial Studies

The relationship between post-colonial and post-socialist studies is extraordinarily complex. Post-colonialists might argue that it can be approached from different perspectives as well as different power positions of knowledge production. As a result, I have chosen a specific trajectory that intersects and challenges the static power positions and is able to trace the debates and the unfolding of the complex problem over time. As a long-time scholar in this area, and moreover one who has taken many different roads in both fields, I will describe this relationship from the perspective of my own scholarly biography. However, my professional career has spanned several decades and surpassed the transient trends and fashions within this scholarly field. As such, it can only be depicted as an extensive narrative comprising multiple episodes, published in sequence across the double issue of the journal Studia Litteraria, devoted to forms of engagement in contemporary Southern and Western Slavic literatures. Part 2 focuses on the socialist expansion of Post-Colonial Studies.

Toward Blue Cultural (Re)Visions in the Literature of the Northern Mozambique Channel

The ocean has been represented as a mysterious and alien space; too fast to comprehend yet compressed in narratives, in many studies. Once a neglected area in literary studies and discourses, the ocean is now gaining a considerable attention by scholars. This article is an exploratory analysis of the cultural meanings of the ocean scape with close references to the Mozambique Channel literary productions. By locating African studies in the context of the ocean scape—itself a site of antique multicultural negotiations—the article suggests a shift in the ocean’s ancient meanings to the early modern period meanings encapsulated in slavery and colonialism. The article examines trends and dominant images that contribute to a blue cultural understanding of these artistic works. The study seeks to illustrate that the ocean scape speaks to a catalogue of modern knowledge hubs such as post colonialism, globalization, history and environment. By drawing on New Historicism, the article provides examples on how the Mozambique Channel Ocean scape discourses shift our interpretation of this postcolonial literature by first, engaging an explication of select texts and secondly, through a (re)consideration of historical contexts of the Mozambique experience in favour of blue cultural studies. The study (re)visits how indigenous traditions, values, customs and art forms as depicted in these works (inter)penetrate other social discourses as cultural expressions.

Translations in Green: Colonialism, Postcolonialism, and the Vegetal Turn

ABSTRACT: This paper explores the coloniality of botany and its transnational genealogy by examining critical questions about agency of representation of botanical nomenclature. We use two examples— Hortus Malabaricus in the seventeenth century, and the Traditional Knowledge Digital Library (TKDL) from the twenty-first century—as bookends to examine the legacies of colonial botany. The Hortus is a comprehensive treatise developed by Hendrik van Rheede, the governor of Dutch Malabar, with the help of local botanists, doctors, and physicians. It remains one of the most comprehensive works on the flora of Asia and the tropics. The impetus for the Hortus was the desire for a catalogue of local plants so colonists could more efficiently extract the rich botanical resources in Asia. The TKDL is a digital repository of traditional knowledge of India. The impetus was to establish prior use of herbs and medicines in India and challenge global biopiracy of traditional Indian knowledge. Both the Hortus and the TKDL are repositories that respond to colonial regimes of power—the former for more efficient colonial extraction, and the latter to thwart it. Yet both are caught up in Western norms of botanical nomenclature. Drawing on feminist, postcolonial, and transnational studies, this paper examines the two moments to explore the enduring and shifting meanings of transnational colonial regimes of power.

Listening to the Other: Kuang’s Babel, Postcolonialism, and Bible Translation

Despite its influence in the broader academy, postcolonial thought has had minimal impact on the study of Bible translation. This article examines postcolonialism, drawing out common themes from the contested descriptions of the discipline, and briefly reviews some of the ways postcolonial thought has contributed to Missiology, Biblical Studies, and Translation Studies. It then explores the general lack of interaction between postcolonial criticism and studies of Bible translation and suggests ways that attending to postcolonial critiques could benefit the field. The article concludes with a case study using the history of Thai translations of the Bible to illustrate some of the benefits that could be brought to studies of Bible translation by an increased sensitivity to postcolonial thought.

On Decolonization and its Correlates

This essay offers a critical analysis of the literature on decolonization (and its correlates), from the studies carried out by colonial agents and administrators to the recent vogue for postcolonial and decolonial studies. It highlights the limitations of the top-down approach of most studies up to the 1970s, the binarism that has characterized contemporary studies, and the conceptual ambivalence as well as marketing perspective that distinguish the decolonial approach. Lastly, it considers the idea of using the conceptual framework of creolization studies and the ideas of Oswald de Andrade on anthropophagy to get a better understanding of decolonization.

The Disintegration of “Power/Knowledge”: Post-Socialist Studies as Decolonial Studies? A Personal Point of View. Part 1: Post-Colonialism, Balkanism and Self-Colonization

The relationship between post-colonial and post-socialist studies is extraordinarily complex. Post-colonialists might argue that it can be approached from different perspectives as well as different power positions of knowledge production. As a result, I have chosen a specific trajectory that intersects and challenges the static power positions and is able to trace the debates and the unfolding of the complex problem over time. As a long-time scholar in this area, and moreover, one who has taken many different roads in both fields, I will describe this relationship from the perspective of my own scholarly biography. However, my professional career has spanned several decades and surpassed the transient trends and fashions within this scholarly field. As such, it can only be depicted as an extensive narrative comprising multiple episodes. Each episode showcases its unique scientific intrigue and unravels its own methodological peripeteia, all of which contribute to the overarching story I wish to share. Such complex material required a specific structure and organization, leading to the formation of three distinct parts of the story. These parts are published in sequence across the double issue of the journal Studia Litteraria, devoted to forms of engagement in contemporary Southern and Western Slavic literatures.

Indigeneity, Subalternity and Lakota Territorial Resurgence: Disrupting Urban Settler Colonial Order in a US Bordertown

At first glance, the concept of the subaltern seems to perfectly describe the position of Native Americans within contemporary US society, yet, until recently, it was not commonly used by Indigenous studies scholars. This has changed partly due to the emergence of the field of settler colonial studies, born of the dialogue between postcolonial and Indigenous studies. In particular, scholars have looked at the historical and contemporary role cities are playing in highlighting patterns of dispossession and resistance. In the article, we look at the contributions of this new theoretical framework, then focus on the case of Rapid City, SD, presenting its history of dispossession and violence, and showing how Indigenous resurgence challenges that history.

A Post-Colonial critique on A Passage to India by Edward Morgan Forsterand Untouchable by Mulk Raj Anand

This study is centralized on the significance of post-colonial criticism implanted in Edward Morgan Forster’s A Passage to India and Mulk Raj Anand’s Untouchable employing varying quintessential post-colonial theories coined by important post-colonial theorists. The following research involves scrutinizing the post-colonial space and the major critics in it corresponding with the horrifying ramifications of imperialism that alters the socio-political, cultural, and economical dogmas of a nation including the linguistic approach which plays an important role in the development of the literary canon. This research explores the subject of colonial implications presented by two different writers originating from far away poles which conclusively examines how two distinct categories of colonial exploitation work one being triggered by foreign agents and another being planted inside the premises of a nation making a distinction between the mechanism of oppression. The two primary texts’ projects justify the outlook on the aftermath colonialism and also portray important theories of Hybridity, Oppression, and Othering.

The concept of "maximalism" in the literary studies of Yevhen Sverstyuk and Ivan Dziuba

Subject of this article is the concept of “maximalism” in the critical works of the Sixtiers, particularly focusing on Yevhen Sverstiuk and Ivan Dziuba. So far, there have been no studies addressing the reception of maximalism by Sixtier critics or its place in their journalistic and scholarly discourse, making this investigation a pioneering effort and thus highly relevant. Furthermore, this article could lay the groundwork for further examination of Sixtier language within the framework of post-colonial theory, as it touches upon the issue of imperial influence on individual identity. The aim of this research is to determine the frequency of the usage of the maximalism concept among Sixtier critics, evaluate its position and role within the ideological language of the empire, and discern any shifts in interpretation from established norms. The following conclusions have been drawn: 1. In the theoretical constructs of Sixtier critics, the concept of “maximalism” emerges as highly productive, consonant with the prevailing ideological discourse of the time. Several works of literary critics were dedicated to the issue of moral maximalism, with Ivan Dziuba employing the concept with notable frequency (appearing in roughly every fourth article within the trilogy “From the Well of Years”). 2. Sixtier critics were aware of the stereotypical nature of this concept and its frequent usage in contemporary periodicals and critical literature. They imbued it with their own nuanced meanings, which opposed the prevalent uncritical usage within Soviet public discourse. 3. Moreover, maximalism emerges as a fundamental aspect of the moral consciousness of the Sixtiers, embodying ideals of moral absolutism, particularly within Kantian philosophy. They emphasized the necessity of fostering individuals of high moral standing, primarily demanding of themselves, capable of self-sacrifice in the name of moral rectitude, civic duty, attention attention to the oppressed, and the belief in the intellectual’s ability to change the world. They vehemently opposed the ideas of moral relativism that were deemed unacceptable and antithetical to moral absolutism. There exists a distinct divergence in the declared sources of morality, with Ye. Sverstiuk emphasizing Christian sources, while Ivan Dziuba’s sources differ, leaning towards socio-philosophical sources. This study can serve as a foundation for further research into moral issues in the works and criticism of the Sixtiers.

Is a Woman a Better Refugee Than a Man? Gender Representations of Refugees in the Polish Public Debate

Within the framework of global mobility regimes, some bodies are encouraged to move while others are pushed back. Nation-states create control mechanisms to block those who are “undesirable”. Apart from political utility, the colour of the bodies is indicated by the critics as the main criterion of division. However, one more important dimension that intersects with race here is the gender of these bodies. A woman fits the figure of an ideal victim better due to the nationalist patterns of femininity: she is vulnerable, submissive, and deprived of agency. Contrary to a man: his duty in the context of war is to remain in his homeland and fight for it. A man who does not do that, seeking asylum in Europe, is morally doubtful: he is a migrant posing a threat to “our” prosperity and security. This is how people crossing the Polish-Belarusian border are presented to public opinion and contrasted with female Ukrainian refugees. The article offers a critical analysis of gender representations of refugees in the Polish public debate through the prism of postcolonial theory, demonstrating that gendered and racialised colonial discourses underpin rationalisations about who has and who does not have a right to be a refugee.

Interrogating irresponsible Leadership within the Post Independence Matrix in Ngugi Wa Thiong’o’s Wizard of the Crow and Alobwed’ Epie’s The Bad Samaritan

The aim of this study is to demonstrate the phenomenon of irresponsible leadership within post-independence nations, exploring its impact on governance, societal development, and sustainability of democratic systems. The problem at hand is multi-faceted. Irresponsible leadership perpetuates a cycle of underdevelopment, erodes trust in government institutions, breeds social unrest, and hinders progress towards sustainable growth and stability. This study intends to answer the following research questions; how does irresponsible leadership affect socio-economic development of post-independence nations? and how do citizens react to to irresponsible leadership in the post-independence matrix? By analyzing , interpreting and evaluating Wizard of the Crow and The Bad Samaritan, we aim to illustrate underlying factors that contribute to irresponsible leadership, drawing parallels with historical and contemporary events. This paper is built on the hypothesis that irresponsible leadership after independence is like a tangled web of power and corruption. By examining this theme closely, the novels demonstrate how leaders can harm society through their actions, highlighting the struggles faced in building a just and fair postcolonial world. This study employs postcolonial theory which is relevant in that, it unveils how historical injustices and imbalances continue to manifest in contemporary governance. Interrogating irresponsible leadership through the postcolonial lens enable us to understand how neocolonial forces and the imposition of Western ideologies contribute to corrupt governance. Drawing upon both primary and secondary sources, this study engages in comparative analyses across varying geographical locations to offer an understanding of the nature of irresponsible leadership. The findings of this study underscore that irresponsible leadership after independence has hindered progress and development in many African countries. The study also revealed that irresponsible leadership has led to economic instability and social unrest in post-independence nations.

РЕПРЕЗЕНТАЦІЇ ІСТОРІЇ УКРАЇНИ В АНГЛОМОВНОМУ НАУКОВОМУ ДИСКУРСІ

The article highlights the problem of rethinking international communication about Ukrainian history, taking into account the de-imperialization of the historical narrative and overcoming the Russian optics on Ukraine that prevails in Western academic discourse. Sometimes in Western trends, this process is called decolonization, and the corresponding work is called postcolonial studies. While postcolonialism plays a leading role in foreign scholarly visions, it is only gaining momentum in Ukraine. Given the special attention to Ukraine as a country where a new global political architecture is being created today, there is a need to analyze and systematize foreigners’ perceptions of the Ukrainian past, as this will allow for better communication and potentially improve understanding between Ukraine and the Western world in general. Given the total dominance of Russian historiography and its derivative narratives on the entire history of Eastern Europe, this area is extremely relevant and even strategically necessary, as it allows us to study the worldview of both political elites and the electorate of Europe, which is based on a specific vision of the past and directly affects our present and future. This fact actualizes historical imagology as one of the tools for realizing the above. The study is based on the scientific work of foreign historians of non-Ukrainian origin on the history of Ukraine in the English-language discourse. The purpose of the study is to trace the general idea of non-Ukrainian researchers about Ukraine and its historical development, to analyze the state of scientific development of the topic and the source base of the study, and to highlight the main concepts and approaches to the representation of Ukraine’s history. The chronological framework covers the scholarly discourse that began with Ukraine’s independence in 1991 and continues to this day.

Постколониальный дискурс: теория, методология и практика применения (на примере этнополитического сепаратизма в Африке)

The purpose of this work is to study the possibilities of the postcolonial discourse theory by E. Said and his methodology for developing the basic principles of the concept of ethnopolitical separatism in postcolonial African countries. The scientific direction of postcolonial studies, to which it belongs, is currently studying a number of topical problems caused by the reproduction of the ideas of colonialism in various forms. The subject of the study is the provisions of the theory of postcolonial discourse, which are important for the description of the concept of ‘postcolonial’ for the practical application. It is established that those concepts that remain relevant are as follows: concept (E. Said), ambivalence (G. Spivak) and cultural ‘third space’ (H. Bhabha). A critical analysis of the development of the theory of postcolonial discourse on the basis of Francophone studies was carried out to describe the manifestation of colonial stereotypes in postcolonial contexts, as well as their reflection in modern foreign policy strategies of France and implementation in the practises of maintaining African ethnopolitical separatism. The role of leading French writers, scientists and public figures in the development of the theory of postcolonial discourse is assessed. The periodisation of the formation of Francophone studies known as the ‘French Library’ is proposed, brief descriptions of each of the three stages, starting from the 90s of the 20th century, are given. Particular attention is paid to the concept of deconstruction of Zh. Derrida, V-I. Mudimbe, A. Mbembe. Using the example of French foreign policy, discursive practises and forms of deconstruction of stereotypes of colonialism in the postcolonial era are considered. The strategies and methods of interference of the former metropolis in the political affairs of the independent African states of the Sahel region, supporting ethnopolitical conflicts, are described. The analysis made it possible to argue that ethnopolitical separatism in the light of the theory of postcolonial discourse should be considered in the context of a special cultural space where modernism and archaicism, democracy and autocracy, colonial and postcolonial are intertwined. It is shown that the ‘postcolonial’ has an ambivalent character, manifested in the binary identity and the mixing of the ideas of constructivism and primordialism. The potential of the theory of postcolonial discourse and the corresponding methodology is revealed, allowing to apply its concepts to study the practises of postcolonial ethnopolitical separatism.

Was the result determined by disgruntled voters who did not go to the polls?

Üsküdar University, Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, Department of Political Science and International Relations (English) and Postcolonial Studies Application and Research Center (PAMER) Director Asst. Prof. Fehmi Ağca evaluated the results of the 31 March 2024 Local Administrations General Election.

The Genealogy of Confucian Modernity and the Reconstruction of Confucian Traditions in Post-Liberation Korea

Abstract: This article aims to trace the genealogy of Confucian modernity after Korea's liberation from Japanese rule and analyze how the historical context in which Confucian traditions were reconstructed. It seeks to analyze the process through which the disparate concepts of modernity and Confucianism were combined, moving beyond the perspective of denigration and development of Confucian traditions found in existing studies and approaching it from the perspective of postcolonial studies and traditions as invented practices. From the post-liberation period to the early 1960s, two arguments competed: one viewed Confucianism as having ruined the country, while the other claimed that it had sprouted modern times. While the former view still persisted, Confucianism was being used for political purposes, and scholars including Ch'ŏn Kwanu made efforts to find the sprout of modernism from Confucianism. The turning point came with the fervor of "modernization" that swept the country and the world in the 1960s. Influenced by domestic and foreign modernization theories, including Rostow's modernization theory, which began in the United States, the Park Chung Hee regime embraced the "modernization of the motherland" as its slogan. At the academic level, this trend was reinforced by the United States' support for Korean studies. In this process, discussions linking traditional Confucianism with modernization became more sophisticated in the intellectual community. By the late 1960s, these discussions went beyond explaining the connection between Confucianism and modernity through the concept of sprouting and reached a level of directly mentioning their connection. In the 1970s, this trend intensified further, leading to the conclusion that sirhak (practical learning) in Confucianism had pioneered its own modernization theory before the adoption of Western modernity. Through these analyses, this study aims to delineate the genealogy of discussions about Confucianism, such as that it is the cause of underdevelopment represented by stagnation or that it is the basis of East Asian modernity. Ultimately, by analyzing the contexts in which Confucian traditions are reconceptualized, this study aims to critically reconstruct the notions of tradition, nationalism, and modernity.

DESARROLLO Y LÍMITES DE LA HISTORIA LATINOAMERICANA EN COREA DEL NORTE

This paper explores North Korea’s links with the Third World, particularly with Latin America, through its historiography. By analyzing historical works, the paper describes the relationship between political changes in the peninsular country and the development of North Korean historiography about Latin America. The selected works are relevant insofar as they are dogmatic products at the service of North Korean state-building: The Dictionary of History (Ryeoksasajeon) and some articles in Historical Science Journals (Ryeoksagwahak) and Annals of Kim Il-Sung University (Kimilsŏngjonghaptaehak hakbo). To this end, an account is first given of the links of anticolonialist historiography in North Korea with postcolonial theory. This is followed by an analysis of its treatment of Latin America in the era of decolonization and a description of the changes accompanying the last decade of the 20th century. The paper reveals the consequences of a close relationship between political power and historiography, with efforts to overcome colonialist historiography through historical materialism and Juche ideology. Likewise, its view of Latin America is limited by dichotomous interpretations centered on the view of the peninsular country.

DECENTRING WESTERN FEMINISM AND MANLY NATIONALISM

Gender based segregations either in public and private spheres have been recurrent problem for women in Western world, however the cases of women in the “Third World” highlight the ways in which race and gender intersect, exemplifying a double form of oppression. This intersection also functions between colonialism (external) and local patriarchy (internal) mechanisms that control women as in the case of Algerian women. This article considers the ways in which Algerian women reformulated the ways of decolonising Western feminism and nationalism in the Algerian Revolution (1954-1962). As such, this paper looks at the distinct perspective, created by Algerian women with an emphasis on their implicit contribution to Western feminist scholarship. By veiling and unveiling interchangeably for national liberation movement against France, Algerian women deviate from the very definitions of Western feminism and challenges patriarchal notions of nationalism. The strategic albeit voluntary act of unveiling earns them a space that is self-representative. This space also represents the backbone of national liberation movement where colonial gaze on women, and control on men in Algeria were contested. The paper concludes that Algerian women can successfully cross national and colonial borders, and hence create a space that is beyond the definitions of Western feminist scholarship, and beyond the demands of colonial authority. The theoretical background of this paper is mainly based on the ideas proposed by Chandra Mohanty, Frantz Fanon, Edward Said and Gayatri Spivak to explore insights from transnational feminism and postcolonial theory regarding gender and nationalism.

Sömürgeciliğin İkiyüzlülüğü: This Earth of Mankind Adlı Romanda Irkçılık ve Kimlik Kavramları

This Earth of Mankind, by Pramoedya Ananta Toer, is a moving literary masterpiece that looks into the complexity of identity and the lingering impacts of colonial subjugation. The novel's analysis of oppression reveals the deep web of power relations inherent in colonial countries. The novel illuminates the enormous inequalities between the colonizers and the colonized, as well as the racial and socioeconomic hierarchies that sustain the systemic oppression of the indigenous population. It follows Minke, a Javanese native protagonist, as he struggles with his multiple identities as an educated man finding his way through Dutch-dominated society and as a representation of his indigenous culture. In this regard, this article emphasizes the varied nature of identity creation in a colonial situation through an in-depth investigation of major characters and their relationships. Additionally, the article focuses on how the authoritarian colonial system impacts and constrains the identities of other individuals in the novel. Drawing upon postcolonial theories and historical context as well, this article also sheds light on the recurring themes of identity negotiation, cultural assimilation, and resistance within This Earth of Mankind. It aims to foster a better understanding of the psychological, social, and cultural impacts of colonialism on both the colonizers and the colonized. Ultimately, this article aims to contribute to the ongoing discourse on decolonization, identity politics, and the legacy of colonialism through an in-depth analysis of Toer's masterpiece.