Postcolonial Research Articles

Decolonial Processes in Modern Ukrainian Literature through the Disclosure of the Soviet Man Image. City Space as One of the Identity-Forming Factors

A post-colonial approach to literary studies of modern literature, in particular Ukrainian, has gained considerable popularity over the last decade. Clearly, the collapse of the Soviet Union and the subsequent attainment of independence have laid the foundation for the development of post-colonial studies in our territory. Injuries inflicted during the long period of colonisation (although not all researchers agree to use this term, noting the absence of a key characteristic of the colony — “a large body of water” is missing) have been understood and reflected both in literature and its researchers. However, currently we are at a stage, when writers are moving beyond the refl ection typical for post-colonial viewpoints, delving into the exploration of logical connections between events and their consequences, examining ways to process these traumas. Therefore, in modern research, the decolonial approach, which emerges as a branch of postcolonial thought, is more relevant. In particular, this is discussed by Agnieszka Matusiak and Tamara Hundorova.Tamara Hundorova identifies a unique form of decolonial aesthetics in Ukrainian literature — aesthesis. This is the manifestation of the unknown, even the opposite of the generally accepted modern concept of “aesthetics” — corporeality, sensuality, and mystical practices. Agnieszka Matusiak observes that modern Ukrainian science and culture have undergone a ‘decolonial turn’ (decolonial-detotalitarian, as she calls this phenomenon, a complete shift in emphasis in discussions about Donbas). Decolonisation is intrinsically linked in Ukrainian realities with de-Sovietization. While at the governmental level, this occurs through changing street names and re-evaluating Soviet political figures, people raised under this system find it challenging to shed an identity formed under vastly different values and conditions. The article aims to showcase the depiction and transformation of the Soviet man in modern Ukrainian literature, illustrating changes that signify a shift towards a decolonial perspective. Also of interest are the aspects of traumatic memory and the identity crisis of characters, invariably linked with the disintegration of the Soviet Union.

Invisibility in global health: A case for disturbing bioethical frameworks.

In recent years, the global health community has increasingly reported the problem of 'invisibility': aspects of health and wellbeing, particularly amongst the world's most marginalized and impoverished people, that are systematically overlooked and ignored by people and institutions in relative positions of power. It is unclear how to realistically manage global health invisibility within bioethics and other social science disciplines and move forward. In this letter, we reflect on several case studies of invisibility experienced by people in Brazil, Malaysia, West Africa and other transnational contexts. Highlighting the complex nature of invisibility and its interconnectedness with social, political and economic issues and trends, we argue that while local and targeted interventions might provide relief and comfort locally, they will not be able to solve the underlying causes of invisibility. Building from the shared lessons of case study presentations at an Oxford-Johns Hopkins Global Infectious Disease Ethics Collaborative (GLIDE), we argue that in dealing with an intersectional issue such as invisibility, twenty-first century global health bioethics could pursue a more 'disturbing' framework, challenging the narrow comforting solutions which take as a given the sociomaterial inequalities of the status quo. We highlight that comforting and disturbing bioethical frameworks should not be considered as opposing sides, but as two approaches working in tandem in order to achieve the internationally set global health milestones of providing better health and wellbeing for everyone. Insights from sociology, anthropology, postcolonial studies, history, feminist studies and other styles of critical reasoning have long been disturbing to grand narratives of people and their conditions. To rediscover the ethos of the WHO Alma Ata Declaration-a vision of "health for all by the year 2000"-these thinking tools will be necessary aids in developing cooperation and support beyond the narrow market logic that dominates the landscape of contemporary global health.

“NOT I”: postcolonial reconfigurations of Samuel Beckett

Since the inception of postcolonial studies, literature, as taught around the world, has been critiqued for its neo-empirical drive. In addition to Eurocentric canons, various critical lenses and modes of appraisal have also been revised and altered to better understand and engage with texts. This essay moves away from the Bloomian notion of the literary canon that ends with Samuel Beckett, and instead, it compares and contrasts Beckett’s works in new contexts, with the writings of Salman Rushdie, Upamanyu Chatterjee, and M. Mukundan, who intertextually refer to Beckett in their work. The ensuing discussion brings to light the ubiquitous nature of key Beckettian themes that have inspired writers, especially in a postcolonial scenario, which is permuted by the shifting relations of languages and cultures that shape one’s identity.

Gender and power as negotiated in Bukusu circumcision ceremonies

Recent studies on language and gender that focus on songs and beer drinking sessions within the context of the Bukusu circumcision ceremony have shown that language is gendered and that it espouses male gender. Against this backdrop, in this study we aim to denaturalise this view by focussing on conversations within the circumcision ceremony. By using theoretical and methodological principles from critical discourse and conversation analysis in particular, we argue that, by using linguistic strategies, traditional gender roles are not only discursively highlighted but they are also negotiated and even resisted. This study falls within recent discussions in critical discourse analysis that have shown that language masks asymmetrical power relations on the one hand, and within postcolonial studies that have shown that gender discourses can reflect collisions between differing points of views on the other hand. The data used in this study is four audio recordings of conversations that took place alongside the main ceremony. This data has been analysed at the level of content and prosodic organisation to identify discursive practices that reveal the negotiation and contestation of gender roles. The study contributes to recent discussions in critical discourse analysis by exposing gender asymmetries and contestations that lie behind ‘taken-for-granted’ realities, with specific examples from the postcolonial context of the Bukusu circumcision ceremony.

Is Decoloniality a New Turn in Postcolonialism?

Abstract A new orientation appeared in cultural studies at the turn of the twenty-first century. As it centers around the concept, “decoloniality,” it has been called the “decolonial turn” by some scholars. Since the decolonial turn addresses “decoloniality,” one would think it signals a new orientation in postcolonial studies. Proponents of “decoloniality,” however, have denied it as a concept of postcolonialism and even regretted its conflation with postcolonialism and decolonization. This article critically examines major ideas in the decoloniality program in relation to issues of postcolonialism and argues for its placement in the context of postcolonialism so as to enrich postcolonial studies and advance the project of decoloniality.

The phenomenon of identity and the problem of the Other in postcolonial studies

The author of this article analyzes the problem of relationship with the Other, generated by the crisis of identity. The theories of decolonialism and postcolonialism are served as the methodological basis of this study. It is concluded that identity politics is fueled by hidden or repressed group identities seeking public recognition. This is dangerous in escalating violence as identity politics capitalizes on cultural myth and postcolonial trauma. The author of this article argues that overcoming the postcolonial complex is possible by making national identity the dominant identity while maintaining sovereignty and horizontality in the relationship with the former metropolis.

Tracing the Postcolonial Ecocritical Aspects of Amitav Ghosh’s The Hungry Tide

This research article examines Amitav Ghosh’s novel The Hungry Tide in the theories of Postcolonialism and Ecocriticism. It provides a new perspective by interrelating postcolonial and ecological issues of indigenous people in the novel. The research article addresses the harsh realities of the protagonist in Sundarbans Island and reflects on the power of colonialization and the degradation of ecological wealth. The research article also traces the postcolonial elements and ecological aspects through various episodes, anecdotes, and experiences narrated in the novel. It focuses on the Sundarbans (Island) and investigates the link between the postcolonial geographies and identities. The research article highlights the problems of indigenous people in the novel. The research examines how the British colonization of India affected the local people and the environment. It mainly examines how the indigenous people play a role in safeguarding their environment. The article also interrelates the aspects of Postcolonial and Ecocriticism to highlight other social issues that the book raises.

Stylistic/Textual Analysis of Narrative Techniques in Ngugi Wa Thiong’o’s a Grain of Wheat

In A Grain of Wheat, Ngugi Wa Thiong’o demonstrates his mastery of language for both narration and description. In the plot, while telling the story, he provides a vivid description of the social and natural settings in which the action is taking place. He adopts the use of omniscient narrator technique as an objective technique that makes it possible to probe the innermost depths of the characters and determine their psychological and emotional states, especially in the protest against the whiteman’s domination of the land. Occasionally, he attempts to illustrate the ongoing action with a corresponding visual symbolism or external imagery starting from the title of the novel – A Grain of Wheat and the character – Kihika respectively. This paper examines stylistic/textual analysis of narrative techniques of Ngugi’s style of narrative in A Grain of Wheat. The purpose of this study is to analyse the colonial influences on the Kenyan environment using the post-colonial theory and employing the qualitative method to gather data as regards the use of narrative techniques in the novel. The findings are that the source of environmental degradation and marginalisation of the natives in the novel warranted the use of narrative techniques, especially symbolism and visual imagery as indicated and perfected by the author in A Grain of Wheat. His use of flashback techniques is to give the reader insight into the life and activities in Kenya. Therefore, this paper recommends the use of narrative techniques by authors as part of the thematic expressions of their works.

ДІАСПОРА ЯК ГЕТЕРОТОПІЯ В РОМАНІ МАЙКЛА ОНДАТЖЕ “У ШКІРІ ЛЕВА”

The present article examines the postcolonial novel “In the Skin of a Lion” written by Michael Ondaatje, one of Canada’s leading contemporary writers. As the marginalized experience of an immigrant had a signifi cant impact on shaping the author’s diasporic identity, Ondaatje, originally from Ceylon and a Canadian citizen, depicts in his novel the immigrant experience and the distinctiveness of the corresponding diasporic space within a linguistic and cultural community. The article underscores that the space, which both refl ects and distorts the real world, can be characterized as a heterotopian one. In multicultural societies, diaspora serves as one such space – an entity that unites individuals bound by their shared ethnic heritage and brings together inhabitants who often fi nd themselves isolated and marginalized. In the novel “In the Skin of a Lion”, the immigrant district is depicted as a space with utopian features. A cornerstone of the analysis lies in the observation of how immigrants navigate and interact with foreign landscapes. The article demonstrates how these individuals utilize the canvas of a foreign country to reimagine and reconstruct familiar environments, a process that both mirrors and refracts their original contexts. Signifi cantly, the diasporic space inhabited by the characters is similar to Foucault’s concept of a heterotopic mirror, a realm without a concrete locus yet integral to shaping the characters’ experiences and perspectives. The methodology of the article relies primarily on the notion of heterotopia by French philosopher Michel Foucault, Homi Bhabha’s explorations and his concept of an intermediate space or the “third” space, and Edward Said’s postcolonial theory as well as other cultural and literary studies pertaining to the diaspora. It is shown that the heterotopian space in M. Ondaatje’s novel is a place for the formation of the diasporic identity of his characters. Ultimately, according to Foucault’s principles of heterotopia, in the novel “In the Skin of a Lion”, the diaspora and the immigrant community’s enclave are portrayed as a rich and transformative heterotopic space. Key words: Michael Ondaatje, “In the Skin of a Lion,” Michel Foucault, heterotopia, space, diasporic identity.

Representation of the Moroccan Ruler, Tribe and Resistance in Travel Writing: A Postcolonial Study of Morocco That Was and In Morocco

Colonial travel writing performed ideological functions in North Africa during the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. The images, stories, and narratives composing its representation- created a distorted reality of the colonized lands to normalize and legitimize colonialism. This study contributes to offering a more literary account of how colonial writings about Morocco targeted social and political institutions or organizations as part of its imperial project in the region. To this end, this study examines two travel accounts (Morocco That Was and In Morocco) to identify how they represent the Moroccan ruler, tribe, and resistance during the colonial period. Based on postcolonial and critical discourse analysis perspectives, the findings of this research showed that representation of these aspects of Moroccan life during that period endorsed the colonial and imperial project in Morocco. In the meantime, the study recommended the integration of this colonial discourse earlier in Moroccan textbooks.

Dreams of mirage in Khawla Hamdi's expatriation of the Jasmin (2015) and Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie's Americanah (2013)

To what extent does migration contribute to fulfilling individual aspirations and dreams? This paper tries to answer this question through the migration journey in the two selected novels, Khawla Hamdi's Expatriation of the Jasmin (2015) and Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie's Americanah (2013), where Jasmin and Ifemelu decide to leave their own countries (Tunisia and Nigeria) to achieve their goals of studying, doing their post graduate studies, and enjoying the western world qualities of freedom and justice in France and the USA. Postcolonial theory will be adopted to highlight the themes of diaspora and alienation that the two protagonists embrace so badly during their long stay away from home in addition to the cultural shock they are going to experience as for Jasmin who is going to be treated unfairly because of her veil and Ifemelu who is going to be called as a negro for the first time in her life. The paper answers the question of the two protagonists “Will they achieve their dreams of freedom, equality, and human treatment in the western world, or will they be chasing mirage? They realize that they are chasing mirage, and the ideal image of the western world is scattered, they conclude that they can achieve success anywhere without having to migrate, and the first step on the way to success starts from the inside.

Western Characters in Eileen Chang's 1940s Novels

The 1940s was the early stage of Eileen Changs creative career. During this period, she created many Western characters in her novels, especially seven works, namely Shame, Amah!, Cycle of Traps, When I was Young, Aloeswood Incense: The First Brazier, Aloeswood Incense: The Second Brazier,, Red Rose, White Rose, and The Creation of a Century. Adopting the theory of comparative literary figurativism and post-colonialism, this paper is based on these seven fictional texts involving Western characters and analyses them in terms of writing tendency, generative mechanism and double entailment. The study reveals that the Western characters in Eileen Changs novels show the characteristics of de-familiarisation and decolonisation in terms of writing tendency and are generated under the influence of Eileen Changs personal experience and collective imagination, of which the personal experience includes the living environment and reading experience. These exotic images have the double connotation of speaking of self and other, which can reflect the homogeneity of self and other and the dissimilarity with some post-colonial characteristics.

Maps, Ontological Worlds and a Hybrid Modernity: Reading the Chinese Gazetteer Tukao of Tibet 1886

Abstract This paper explores difference within geographical writings in the transition to modernity in nineteenth century China. In some maps, the experiential realities of travelers were valued and expressed. More significantly, landscape maps sometimes pointed to a reality of absence rather than of presence. This contrasted with the arising modern commitment to triangulation, which deleted the phenomenological in favour of an omniscient ‘view from nowhere’. It is conventional to treat this transition as an expression of progress in which non-Western scholars started to undo a scientific deficit regarding precision and measurement with the use of new tools, or for postcolonial scholars to propose heroic resistance from native map makers. Against these interpretations, the minutiae in the 1886 Chinese gazetteer Tukao of Tibet do not simply show a progressive or coerced transition, but rather the expression of an inconsistent difference. Tukao reflects different survey methods, producing fundamentally incompatible ontological worlds. The paper shows that the Tukao does not legislate between different practices, and argues that the alterity in Tukao offers lessons for postcolonial theory and practice, avoiding both hegemony of modern science and relativism.

Violence-as-Norm in the Postcolony

Abstract In this paper, we explore forms of statist violence in both colonial and postcolonial contexts to underscore it as a constant in a postcolonial location like Nigeria. In addition to exploring how statist violence works, we also position civic dissent as a strategy employed in the colony and postcolony to confront statist violence. Our theorization of “violence-as-norm” is motivated by earlier ideas like the works of the South Asian Subaltern Studies Collective, Tejumola Olaniyan’s “postcolonial incredible,” Toyin Falola’s views on violence within Nigerian history, and Achille Mbembe’s notions of banality and vulgarity in the postcolony. Our paper engages with Peter Omoko’s Majestic Revolt to demonstrate how “violence-as-norm” mediates colonial violence and civic dissent. Furthermore, by close-reading Chiedozie Omeje’s “When Cowards Win,” we explore postcolonial forms of violence through the EndSARS movement against police brutality in Nigeria to demonstrate how civic dissent is performed and ruptured in the contemporary moment. Ultimately, our research positions the Fanonist category of violence as a way to imagine the inherent coloniality of postcolonial nation-states, thereby extending the critique of the nation-form in postcolonial studies.

Постколоніальна теорія та її застосування до пострадянських держав

This paper aims to reveal the constraints of traditional postcolonial theory, particularly in its application in the post-Soviet space, and to argue the need to study the post-Soviet space through the prism of this theory, considering the colonial nature of the Soviet Union. It focuses on analysing the limitations of postcolonial theory concerning the so-called «Second World» and singling out distinctive attributes of the Russian imperial regime and its enduring aftermath. The authors had studied constraints within the postcolonial theory, in particular, the centrality of racist-related experience and narratives regarding «Second World». These limitations pave the way for a broader understanding of post-Soviet states' complex historical narratives. We analyse the expansionist ambitions of the Russian Empire (as well as its successor, the Soviet Union) both Eastward and Westward and its colonial practices imposed upon indigenous populations in newly acquired territories. This analysis showcases how Russian colonialism endured even after the collapse of the empire, finding a new life in Bolshevik ideology. In particular, the article provides data that testify USSR’s economic colonialism toward Ukraine. It is shown that due to autonomy development after Bolshevik revolution, Baltic states managed to implement robust institutional and economic reforms before the Soviet Union re-annexed their territories. In stark contrast, other territories, including Belarus, Ukraine, Georgia, Armenia, and Azerbaijan, were swiftly absorbed by the Bolshevik regime following the demise of the imperial government. This dichotomy sheds light on the intricate process of decolonisation, demonstrating that true independence for some former Russian colonies only materialised after the collapse of the Soviet Union. The authors suggest that adopting a quasi-colonial lens to view the Soviet Regime provides profound insights into the challenges impeding the development of post-Soviet states. This paper offers a comprehensive understanding of the postcolonial dynamics in the post-Soviet states. It sheds light on not just the historical intricacies but also the contemporary challenges these nations face, thus contributing to a richer scholarly discourse on postcolonialism and its evolving relevance in the modern world.

The Chinese belt and road initiative: development project with strings attached?

PurposeThis study aims to investigate how the Chinese Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) and Chinese outward foreign direct investments (FDI) impact the Belt and Road countries (BRCs). It draws on postcolonial theory to investigate the (geo)political objectives behind the financial and economic means.Design/methodology/approachIn line with the nature of postcolonial studies, the study applies a discourse analysis integrating it with empirical data on indebtedness and trade.FindingsThis study finds that FDI and the BRI, as a development project, need to be considered a double-edged sword for the receiving countries. The authors provide evidence that China has instrumentalized financial and economic means to gain political influence and pursue geopolitical ambitions. Moreover, investments into sensitive sectors (e.g. energy, infrastructure), combined with the BRCs’ inability to pay back loans, could eventually lead to China gaining control of these assets.Research limitations/implicationsThe study investigates the financial and economic means that are instrumentalized to gain political influence while not considering flows of technology and know-how. It also limits itself to the study of FDI coming from one specific country, i.e. China. Therefore, no comparison and evaluation are made of FDI from other countries, such as the USA or European countries.Practical implicationsBy revealing noncommercial objectives and geopolitical ambitions that China pursues through the BRI, the authors derive policy implications for the BRCs, third countries and China.Originality/valueThe study contributes to postcolonial theory and neocolonialism by investigating how China uses financial and economic means to achieve noncommercial objectives and pursue geopolitical ambitions. Additionally, the authors enhance the understanding of FDI by highlighting more subtle aspects of the complex and contextual nature of FDI as a social phenomenon, which have been overlooked thus far. The authors challenge the predominant positive framing of FDI and provide a counterpoint to the way FDI is often coined.

The representation of apartheid system of government in Athol Fugard’s Sizwe Bansi Is Death

The research assessed “The Representation Apartheid System of Government in Athol Fugard’s Sizwe Bansi is Death”. The research employed Post-Colonial Theory for the study’s framework analysis and utilized qualitative method of data collections through Content-Analysis that make use of the play Sizwe Bansi is Dead couple with the adoption of textual technique process to dissect the play. Other sources of knowledge such as published books, journals and online materials were utilized as secondary data. The study adopted Purposive Sampling method to focus on the play while a thematic method was used to analyze information studied. The study found that the author Athol Fugard make use of multiple dramatic methods that include flashback technique, separation effect method, method of story-within-a-story, minor sets and props technique that were all compressed by utilizing small cast hence cost effective. The research therefore conclude that the play Sizwe Bansi is Death as authored by Athol Fugard is a political protest best applied through theatre and art ignoring violence as means to achieve political change in African environment. The play is considered a success as it has spread the message all over the world. To this effect, the study recommend that contemporary African writers should endeavor to adopt and utilize theatre art effectively as an avenue of exposing government policies that encourages racial segregation, ethno-religious discrimination that engender disharmony and disaccord among multi-ethnic and racial settings in Africa and Nigeria alike.

Concept Of Mimicry In The God Of Small Things

This study intends to examine the impact of mimicry on India’s citizens in The God of Small Things by Arundhati Roy, with a focus on the Post-colonial approach. The significance of this study is dedicated to present the overlapping influence of both the East-West, in the customs, language, garments, and extended to incorporate their manners. Thus, the imitation in aforementioned text is reflected and explored throughout the characters’ demeanors within the remarkable framework of Post-colonial theory. The findings of the study indicate that there are several mimicking hints in the novel, which raises the topic of identity throughout the lifestyles of India’s citizens.

Filling the Hollow

Chorus of Mushrooms tells the story of a Japanese family that immigrated to the small city of Nanton, in Canada. It depicts the challenges of three women of different generations - a grandmother, a mother and a granddaughter - and also a father, engaged in the ongoing process of surviving and (re)constructing identities and memories in a foreign environment, which constantly challenges the characters to deal with blurred and overlapping geographies of home. Thus, this essay analyzes briefly the narrative strategies employed by Hiromi Goto in the light of postcolonial studies. The analyses of the narrative act in Chorus of Mushrooms reveals not only how the identities of these three generations of women are (re)constructed in the novel, but also how the story – or stories – is/are creatively told and memories resignified in the process. Before analysing Goto’s novel, a brief account of the author’s and the novel’s sociocultural and historical backgrounds is provided. Then, some narrative strategies are highlighted in the light of Suzan Lanser’s (1982) categories, mainly because of the importance of understanding how memory culture unfolds in the novel via these strategies. Finally, further issues of memory and identity are identified and examined in view of Astrid Erll (2011), Vijay Agnew (2013) and Doreen Massey’s (2014) and Linda McDowell’s (1999) theoretical approaches to space, place and gender. The present study shows not only the role of memories in the narrative and their impact in the characters’ lives, but also Hiromi Goto’s creative and sharp writing skills.

“English with a Polish Accent and a Slight Touch of Irish”: Multilingualism in Polish Migrant Theatre

Issues of migration writing (see Kosmalska) and migrant theatre have recently gained prominence, leading to an increase in research focused on analyzing the theatrical works of artists with a migrant background. This phenomenon is part of a broader trend in intercultural and, often, postcolonial studies. Contemporary Polish migrant theatre is a subject that has not been thoroughly explored yet. Among many methods applied in the study of migrant theatre, intercultural studies or the so-called new interculturalism take the lead. These concepts draw on bilingualism or multilingualism practices, which are slowly taking a more significant role in migrant theatre studies. This article analyzes two theatre plays staged by Polish migrants in Ireland and in the United Kingdom in the context of linguistic practices that exemplify and help define the concept of transnational drama.