Tag: postcolonial criticism

Eurocentric domination of popular Fantasy

On By smundorfIn SpenceLeave a comment

The Postcolonial lens of literature is one that highlights that of stories stemming from the Northern half of Europe, both though historical means but also cultural. Nordicism is a branch of Postcolonialism that specifically finds its way into fantasy literature through the means of mythology. While most fantasy attempts to make an original plot, many also rely on pre-existing mythological groundwork. The fantastical nature of mythology lends itself well to being used in these works of fiction though with that being said this practice is skewed heavily in modern literature. Norse mythology is a dominant factor within fantasy literature that leaves little room for creative ideas from outside of Northern Europe.

Incredibly famous cases of this exist such as Tolkien’s The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings which go so far as to act as an alternate ancient history to the actual world. These books were written with Norse creatures placed in major roles such as Elves, Dwarves and Orcs. These creatures can often be seen as caricatures for minority groups in the real world such as Dwarves being representative of the Jewish community. Tolkien made the creatures short with large noses and long beards but also gave them the quality of greed. The Dwarves constantly yearn to find more riches in their mines and increase their wealth. Not only this but often find themselves homeless, especially in the plot of The Hobbit where they have been cast away from their homeland. Orcs on the other hand are an unfortunate symbol of Africans. They are described as having dark of black skin but are given little respect throughout the story. They typically act in a hivemind manner due to their low intelligence and acting as soldiers with their brutish strength. Along with this Tolkien sticks to his main characters being white males while also only bringing in people of color as canon fodder for them. Tolkien’s equivalent of Asians and Africans are introduced as wicked men who have sided with a dark lord determined to take over the world. The characters are not used for a greater purpose and die in the process.

Works such as that of Tolkien’s are still consistently being shoveled out in the modern world as well. The Harry Potter books barrow from this idea by focusing in on strictly European mythology. The use of creatures such as Phoenixes, Goblins, Giants and Dragons (specifically western stylized dragons) proves this but not as much as the characters within the story. All of the main characters have been portrayed as white and strictly British even with the setting being well into the globalized time of the 1990s. Most characters of color are sidelined if focused on at all while the Eurocentric white character are given the starlight. This overuse of Eurocentric white washing of fantasy goes beyond just written literature though. It can also be found in popular games such as Dungeons and Dragons or Skyrim.

The fact is that modern fantasy is dominated and obsessed with the classic literature and culture of European roots above all else. White characters, often with British accents, fill the roles of critically acclaimed stories centered around a supposed escape from the real world but fail to move beyond a single continent. Perhaps other cultures should be given the opportunity to share their greatest works of fantasy and expand the genre such as African, Asian and Native American fantasy.

Tolkien, J. R. R. The Lord of the Rings. 50th anniversary 1 vol. ed., Houghton Mifflin, 2005.

Rowling, J.K. Harry Potter

Annotation

On By Meg WalshIn MeganLeave a comment

Annotation

My SCE project will look at how colonial violence spans generations through hereditary trauma in three texts, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s novel Purple Hibiscus, Mai Der Vang’s book of poems Afterland, and lê thi diem thúy’s novel The Gangster We are All Looking For. The motif of family in these texts is used to explain transgenerational trauma responses to past and current psychological effects of colonization and war. I will be looking at critical perspectives of postcolonial theory, family trauma, and literary criticism in order to show my audience the importance of heritage and transgenerational narratives in postcolonial literature.

Abubakar, Sadiya. “Traumatic Experiences of Nigerian Women: An Archetypal Representation in Adichie’s Purple Hibiscus.” IRA-International Journal of Management & Social Sciences (ISSN 2455-2267) [Online], 4.3 (2016): 602-611. Web. 24 Oct. 2019

Abubakar’s article, “Traumatic Experiences of Nigerian Women: An Archetypal Representation in Adichie’s Purple Hibiscus”, provides an insight into how literature talks about trauma, and how trauma shapes generations. Abubakar talks about women’s oppression and trauma due to sexual assault, abuse, and poverty in Nigeria. She relates the patriarchal oppression of women to Purple Hibiscus, which she calls “an epitome of Nigerian women’s difficulties and their traumatic experiences” (Abubakar 603). Abubakar’s article discusses trauma theory in relation to literature and delves into the psychology of several of Adichie’s characters. Abubakar’s argument is that multiple traumas, from domestic violence to the trauma of oppression, affect and shape the Adichie’s characters and their familial relationships. These character relationships reflect to the trauma postcolonial Nigerians face. Abubakar’s main project is to show through literary analysis the necessity of trauma centers in Nigeria, and that literature is “unveiling such issues of trauma and letting it to penetratingly reach out to the world through narration” (610). This text is important to my SCE because it provides an overview of trauma and how it affects Nigerian people, and specifically Purple Hibiscus.  Abubakar’s article focuses specifically on women, but I believe that this is not a limitation because of women’s role in affecting the culture of both families and generations. My argument that trauma is hereditary, and that Purple Hibiscus shows an example of this psychological phenomenon, is supported by Abubakar’s examples of women’s trauma in postcolonial Nigeria and her analysis of Adichie’s writing.  I will use Abubakar’s article to support my argument that the characters in Purple Hibiscus inherit the postcolonial trauma of their parents and ancestors through the way this trauma shapes their family dynamic.

Familial Trauma in Postcolonial Literature

On By Meg WalshIn MeganLeave a comment

For my SCE project, I will be looking at three primary texts: Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s novel Purple Hibiscus, Mai Der Vang’s book of poems Afterland, and lê thi diem thúy’s novel The Gangster We are All Looking For. These texts differ in form, content, culture and country. Purple Hibiscus is a coming-of-age novel about a young girl, Kambili, living in an abusive Catholic household in postcolonial Nigeria. Afterland is a collection of poems about the Hmong people’s displacement from Laos after the Vietnam War, where there were attempts at colonization through the military. The Gangster We are All Looking For is the story of a young, unnamed Vietnamese immigrant whose family has fled to San Diego. Though these texts are in many ways dissimilar, each of them deals with postcolonial life and the aftereffects of colonialism. I am thinking about the way that each of these texts deals with family, either ancestral or living, and how familiar ties shape and define trauma. I want to look at the reality of hereditary trauma in postcolonial societies, and how family dynamics can be affected by this trauma. In my SCE, I aim to explore how colonial violence spans generations in order to show my audience the importance of heritage and trans-generational narratives.

I will be looking at critical perspectives of postcolonial theory, psychological theory surrounding family trauma, and literary criticism concerning these three texts. Postcolonial criticism will help me to shape my argument and my readings of these three texts. I will suggest that the motif of family in these texts is used to explain trans-generational trauma responses to past and current psychological effects of colonization. This is extremely important to understand not only the history of colonization, but the lasting psychological effects that are passed down in family dynamics. I argue that these effects are not created through genetics but through hereditary trauma, making it possible for children to take on the postcolonial trauma of their ancestors. These texts show this notion through the motif of the family, using metaphor, character, and imagery.

Keywords: Family, Trauma, Motif, Postcolonial

Provisional Works Cited:

Jacob, John. “Hmong American Identity in Literature.” Salem Press Encyclopedia of Literature, 2019.

Quan Manh Ha. “Conspiracy of Silence and New Subjectivity in Monkey Bridge and The Gangster We Are All Looking For.” Journal of Southeast Asian American Education and Advancement, 2013, p. 1.

Bhattcharjee, Partha, and Priyanka Tripathi. “Ethnic Tensions and Political Turmoil: Postcolonial Reading of Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s Purple Hibiscus.” Language in India, vol. 17, no. 3, Mar. 2017, p. 433.

Postcolonial Criticism: double consciousness and slow violence

On By Professor MeehanIn Professor MeehanLeave a comment

We observed “double consciousness,” one of the keywords of African American criticism and theory, at work in Frederick Douglass’s Narrative. It’s a phrase that takes us back to our first reading and Spivak’s notion of the double bind. You might recall at that time that I heard echoes there of the phrase “double consciousness” coined by Emerson (thinking of Plato), but also the version made more famous later by the African American essayist W. E. B. Du Bois (in Souls of Black Folk, 1903).

There are lots of new keywords and concepts we encounter in postcolonial criticism, but also much that relates to issues and ideas from African American and critical race theory. One way to explore them further would be to continue to listen and look for issues of “double consciousness” in postcolonial concepts such as the following:

  • mimicry
  • unhomeliness/unhomed
  • diaspora
  • othering
  • hybridity
  • intersectionality
  • margin/center
  • canonical counter-discourse

Indeed, the very disputes that are ongoing within postcolonial critical discourse, recounted by Tyson (is it still relevant? has globalization put an end to postcolonialism?) speak to another kind of double consciousness. On the one hand it seems to be a thing of the past, no longer relevant; on the other hand, as Rob Nixon argues (discussed by Tyson), postcolonial criticism can be very relevant to current matters such as environmentalism. And as we learn from Toni Morrison and her conception of “whiteness” and the “Africanist presence” in American literature, these implications of double consciousness are in the texts we read, even when we don’t (initially) see them.

I would take it a step further, remembering the rhetorical principle from Kenneth Burke: every way of seeing is a way of not seeing. In order to make a persuasive and informative argument, regardless of our texts, we need to consider and explore the double consciousness of our argument. We need to engage in counter-discourse with our own position, and risk the unhomeliness of our ideas. What other perspectives might I consider, even if I don’t think (initially) they are relevant? What changes in my perspective when I do so? A more persuasive argument, in the language of postcolonial theory, is rhetorically hybrid and intersectional.

For those interested in Rob Nixon’s scholarship, combining environmental literary theory and criticism with postcolonial theory, check out his 2011 book Slow Violence and the Environmentalism of the Poor. Our library has a copy. It’s quite stunning.

And for a recent application of perspectives raised by both critical race and postcolonial theory, consider this NY Times discussion by Jenna Wortham, “White Filmmakers Addressing (Or Avoiding) Whiteness Onscreen.”