This document defines key concepts in colonialism and postcolonialism. It discusses how colonialism involves extending authority over other territories for economic dominance and imposing cultural practices. Postcolonialism studies colonialism's effects and involves critical analysis of European imperial power. Key postcolonial concepts discussed include ambivalence, hegemony, identity, hybridity, mimicry, orientalism, other, race, worlding, and subaltern. Analyses of postcolonial literature examine historical, physical, ideological, gender, and cultural aspects. Important postcolonial thinkers mentioned are Homi Bhabha, Edward Said, Frantz Fanon, Gayatri Spivak, and Chinua Achebe.

1. Humaera Sultana
Lecturer
Department of English
Z.H. Sikder University of Science &
Technology
Colonialism & Post-colonialism

2. Colonialism
 The policy of a country seeking
to extend or retain its authority
over other people or territories,
generally with the aim of
economic dominance.
 Colonisers may impose their
religion, economics, and other
cultural practices on indigenous
peoples.

3. Postcolonialism
 A study of the effects of colonialism on cultures and
societies.
 A critical theory analysis of the history, culture,
literature, and discourse of European imperial power.

4.  The consensus in the field is that "post-colonial"
(with a hyphen) signifies a period that comes
chronologically "after" colonialism.
 "Postcolonial," on the other hand, signals the
persisting impact of colonization across time
periods and geographical regions.

5. Key Terms in Post-Colonial
Theory
 The colonizer often regards the
colonized as both inferior yet
exotically other, while the
colonized regards the colonizer
as both enviable yet corrupt.
Ambivalence

6. Hegemony
 Control of one state over
others
 The power of the ruling
class to convince other
classes that their interests
are the interests of all
 Not only through means of
economic and political
control but more subtly
through the control of
education and media.

7. Identity
The way in which an
individual and/or
group defines itself.
Identity is important to
self-concept, social
mores, and national
understanding.
Hybridity
Mixure of two
cultures, religion or
races
Mixture of the
colonized
experience and the
colonial influence

8. Ethnicity
 A fusion of traits that belong to a group–shared
values, beliefs, norms, tastes, behaviors,
experiences, memories, and loyalties. Often deeply
related to a person’s identity.

9. Mimicry
 The colonized adapt the
culture (language,
education, clothing, etc.) of
the colonizer but always in
the process changing it in
important ways.

10. Orientalism
 Depiction of aspects in the Eastern world
 The study of Eastern societies and cultures,
languages and peoples by Western scholars.

11. Other
 The social and/or psychological ways in which one
group excludes or marginalizes another group.
 By declaring someone "Other," persons tend to
stress what makes them dissimilar from or opposite
of another, and this carries over into the way they
represent others, especially through stereotypical
images.

12. Race
 The division and classification of human beings by physical
and biological characteristics.

13. Worlding
 The process by which a person,
family, culture, or people is
brought into the dominant
Eurocentric/Western global
society.

14. Subaltern
 The lower or colonized classes who have little access to
their own means of expression and are thus dependent
upon the language and methods of the ruling class to
express themselves.

15. Analyses of post-colonial literature
 Historical aspect
Trace the history of colonialism and subjugation
during the colonial period. In this case, there’s
always the subject and the object of colonialism.
 Physical and psychological aspect
Oppression and intimidation, are the ways to make
colonized feel weak, frightened, devaluate pride,
submissive, and obedient to the colonizer.

16.  Ideological aspect
In whose perspective it is narrated , colonizer or
colonized?
 Gender aspect
Man as colonizer, woman as colonized.
 Cultural aspect
Domination of a certain culture, including ethnicity,
race and religion.

17. Postcolonial Thinkers
 An Indian English scholar
and critical theorist.
 Professor of the Humanities
at Harvard University.
 Key concepts: hybridity,
mimicry, difference, and
ambivalence
Homi K. Bhabha (1949-Present)

18. Edward Said (1935 –2003)
 Palestinian American
academic, political activist,
and literary critic.
 Was a professor of literature
at Columbia University.
 Concept: Orientalism,
Occidentalism, The Other

20.  A French West Indian psychiatrist
and political philosopher.
 Interests: Decolonization
psychopathology of colonization,
Racism.

21. Gayatri Chakravorty Spivak (1942-
Present)
 An Indian scholar, literary
theorist, and feminist critic.
 A University Professor at
Columbia University
 Known for her essay "Can the
Subaltern Speak?”

22. Chinua Achebe (1930 –
2013)
 A Nigerian novelist, poet,
professor, and critic
 Masterpiece: Things Fall
Apart (1958

23. Postcolonial Novels

24. Thank You