Postcolonial theory (Context, Practice, Politics)

Author: [British] Gilbert, translated by Chen Zhongdan
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2004-03-01
Features: Recently, there has been much debate surrounding the status and value of postcolonial cultural analysis models. Postcolonial theory has been challenged in several aspects: its interdisciplinary capabilities, its usual positioning in political contexts, and its inherent power dynamics towards other types of postcolonial analysis, many of which emerged earlier than postcolonial theory itself. The ensuing debates are often so heated and even personalized that the very issues being debated become blurred. In this work, which is still the most comprehensive and lucid overview of this field to date, Bart Moore-Gilbert systematically examines the objections raised against postcolonial theory, revealing the singularity and exaggeration in the perspectives of both sides of the debate. He provides an exhaustive historical account of the conventional methods in Western traditions for studying culture and colonial relations, followed by an exploration of the emergence of alternative forms of postcolonial analysis on these issues. He also introduces with great care the complex and often perplexing works of the three main representatives of postcolonial theory (Gayatri Spivak, Edward Said, and Homi K. Bhabha), considering the criticisms they have faced. Finally, he considers the direction in which postcolonial analysis may be related to various histories of oppression, examining how such a hybrid theory can coexist with the political issues of unity and alliance in the ongoing struggles of cultural decolonization.