"Black Skin, White Masks", "Orientalism", "A Tempest", "Imaginary Homelands" : Reflective blog on post colonial study by Balaji Ramgnathan

Reflective blog on Post-colonial study by Dr.Balaji Rangnathan

Dr.DilipBarad sir has organized three days(19to 20 September) guest lecture of Dr.BalajiRangnathan sir from Central University of Gujrat,at department of English, in which sir discussed about various topics of postcolonial studies. During those three days of lactures, BalajiRangnathan has conversed about following mentioned topics;

     1. Black Skin and White mask by Frantz Fanon

     2.    Orientalism by Edward Said

     3.   A Tempest by Amie Cesaire

    4.   Imaginary Homelands by Salman Rushdie

My Understanding of Postcolonial study 

Postcolonialism or postcolonial studies is the academic study of the cultural legacy of colonialism and imperialism, focusing on the human consequences of the control and exploitation of colonized people and their lands.(Wikipedia)

Generally we define postcolonial is a period of time after colonialism and the literature produced during colonial period may be known as post colonialliterature.It may broadly defined as a study of colonialism on cultures and societies. But the term post colonialism is itself a difficult term, it just can not be defined  or understood as ending of colonialism or even by specific defination of term. Now when we are living in globalization era, the term post colonial is itself connected with globalization.

 What is the difference between state and nation?

In the very first lecture, while preparing us for post colonial study, BalajiRanganathan sir discussed about this question.  What we mean y state is that, it has a geographical limitation and is established by territory as well as the system of power is exercised within a territory. While the nation has not any particular meaning, the notion of nation keeps on coining. The state is reality while the nation is imagination.

Let’s have a look on above mentioned topics with the help of details provided to us in the lectures.

Black Skin and White mask by Frantz Fanon 

In this work Frantoz Fanon, a black man analysed the effects of white colonial laws as well as of social conditioning of black people living in the colonized West Indies. There are 8 chapters in book, in which he argued  that, the effect of colonialism was not only limited as poilitically or culturally damage of people but equally colonisation effect brought out the psychological damage into people because of subjugation.

1.The Negro and language

2.The Woman of colour & The White Man

3.The Man of colour & White Woman

4.The So Called Dependency Complex of the colonized

5.The Lived Experience of the Black Man

6.The Black Man and Psychopathology

7.The Black Man and Recognition

In the first chapter; The Black Man and Language, he argues about correspondence between language, culture, and race. Every culture has their own language which plays a vital role in entering into any culture. Furthermore, he explores how the language was used to bring out the sense of inferiority to black people. There is two reasons behind inferiority complex; Economical and Epidermalization.  

In the very second and third chapters he talks about desire of being a white in order to excess advantages and privileges which white people had already have. This can be shown through the black woman character Mayotte who has desire of whiteness and fairness which was lacking into her. The idea of hybrid identity was also presented through the character of Mayotte.To resist that neglectaion from society she was depended in white man. 

It also showcases that sexuality can not be defined in any particular biological term rather it remains free in universal aspect.Moving towards chapters 4 and 5, in these he argues about racism and inferiority.  Inferiority complex did not naturally arise in black people rather it was imposed in their mind by rascism.In the 6 chapter, he presents the lens thorough which European society used to see black people as animalistic personality as well the blackness was associated with biological idea of reproduction.In the final chapter he ponders on in which way black people were depicted as inferior which brought out the feeling of inferiority as well.

Orientalism by Edward Said

In orientalism, Edward said took his idea from Michael Foucault’s books, “Discipline and Punish” and ‘Archeology of Knowledge” as well as it also relies on the concept of hegemony derived from the philosophy of Anti Gramsci. Orientalism is methodology as well as o f political idea connected with imperialism.

 Edward Said in his famous work Orientalism ponders upon how Western society views Eastern society as primitive or inferior. Generally an orient is defined as barbaric, devoted to submission and lacking high civilized culture.This Western structuring oriental mindset always looks at Eastern world as the other.Because of the continuous representation of Eastern country our mind is conditioned in such way that we can not come out of that negative attitudes towards eastern country. But we have to keep this in mind that,

Orientalism is not an individual idea but a philosophical discourse as well as Orientalism is material idea

As it is a discourse, the meaning of it’s keeps on changing. By sticking to any particular definition we can not define what is Orientalism. Nowadays the idea of Orientalism is also known as ‘Area study’

“A Tempest” by Amie Cesaire

While studying the postcolonial literature, how one can forget to go through ‘A Tempest’ by Amie Cesaire. It is a very significant text in postcolonial literature. It is an adaption of Shakespeare’s The Tempest from a post colonial perspective. A Tempest is mainly focused on the plight of Ariel and Calliban and their never ending search for becoming free from duties and rules of Prospero. In this work Cesaire portrayed a new character of Ishu as a black devil god which was not there in The Tempest. And interestingly Amie Cesaire’s A Tempest also questions the GayatriSpivak’s concept of Can Subaltern speak?

Cesaire’s work seems to as an answer to this question.The Subaltern is itself a discourse, it should never be defined by sticking to a particular meaning; discourse keeps on changing. Subaltern can speak, they also have their own voice. To get this point, let’s have a look on some conversations from the text.

CALIBAN: I said, Uhuru!

PROSOERO: Mumbling your native language again! I’ve already told you, I don’t like it. You could be polite, at least; a simple “hello” wouldn’t kill you.

CALIBAN: Oh, I forgot…But make that as froggy, waspish, pustilar and dung-filled “hello” as possible. May today hasten by a decade the day when all the birds of the sky and beasts of the earth will feats upon your corpse!

PROSPERO: Gracious as always, you ugly ape! How can anyone be so ugly?

CALIBAN: You think I’m ugly…well, I don’t think you’re so handsome yourself. With that big hooked nose, you look just like some old vulture. (Laughing) An old vulture with a scrawny neck!

This conversation may prove that subaltern may have their own voice. The very much notion of subaltern can’t speak is seem to have changing.

Imaginary Homelands by Salman Rushdie

 “Imaginary Homeland” is a collection of essays written by most controversial postcolonial writer Salman Rushdie and is based on his life experiences as well as of contemporary issues. As the title itself has a word imaginary which indicates that its not about any particular home in geographical sense.

“Imaginary Homelands” is a vivid imagination of vivid mind.

The essay includes controversial topics such as…

Attenborough’s Gandhi

Commonwealth Literature Does Not Exist

New Empire within Britain

On Palestine

The term diaspora is at the centr in Salman Rushdie's work, being a discourse the term has changing connotation, it depends upon which lens you develop to watch diaspora. Diasporic literature may not showcases longing for native rather it is a portrayal of problems they have to face in multicultural nation mainly regarding racism and social equality.

In Attenborough’s Gandhi, Salman Rushdie deconstruct the Oscar winning Attenborough’s film Gandhi with that deep postcolonial insight. The very first sentence of the essay is,

 Deification is an Indian disease…..

In a way Salman Rushdie  ponders upon arguments like why they have chosen only Gandhi? The film Portrayed a Gandhi as a Mahatma while Salman Rushdie argues that the film was directed in such a way that which satisfies certain longing in the Western psyche. Salman Rushdie views Gandhi as spiritual mystic person as well as he also criticizes the incidence of Amritsar massacre.

In the second essay, he talks on commonwealth literature as an imaginary idea which doesn’t exist. This question was already there as it is a highly debatable term but got legitimacy and validity when Salman Rushdie started to ask about it. As a term by commonwealth literature, generally we mean that it is a literature written in one place by people from another place. The idea of Commonwealth literature is never founded on any particular form or neither defined by single norm. In today’s time we can not find mutually exclusiveness in the literature, it is simultaneously influenced by different culture.

 In the third essay he talks on racism and how people might have to suffer in Britain as being a immigrant. His essay on Palestine is his cotradictory views against what Edward said argues on palstine.The New Empire within Britain is mainly focused on racism, he showcases how the skin color decides the places of an individual in Britain society. In his essay also he mentioned about it..

"I want to suggest that racism is not a side-issue in contemporary Britain;that it's not a peripheral minority affair. I believe that Britain is undergoing a critical phase of its post-colonial period, and this crisis is not simply economical or political. It's a crisis of the whole culture, of the society's entire sense itself. And racism is only the most clearly visible part of this crisis, the tip of the kind of iceberg that sinks ship"

In conclusion, we can say that post colonial theme mainly deals with diaspora, hybridity,appropriation, subaltern and with assimilation elements.