Response to Critical Theory Today #1

Tyson, L. (2006). Critical Theory Today, New York: Routledge, Ch. 12 Postcolonial Criticism.

So, here's the background. For a class assignment each student was allocated, by chance, a criticism to learn more about and reflect upon. Which criticism did the English girl in a class of American's get, I hear you ask. Why Postcolonialism of course! A cruel twist of fate? A sickeningly ironic joke from the educational gods? I thought so, I have to confess. I mean, for starters, how boring does it sound?! The word colonialism just seems to make my eyelids droop, and anything with 'post' in front of it transports me back to very sleepy lectures from my English degree days. This certainly wasn't a good start then.

With a sigh of resignation I began reading - well, I had to didn't I? It was an assigned chapter, and not completing an assignment would be a cardinal educational sin resulting in, gulp, failure. So I began to read, with a fully closed mind I must admit, and as with anything one undertakes with a closed mind, I wasn't disappointed. There it was, page after page of text about the evil British Empire and how we colonised country after country and stole their identity, and "subjected [people] to the political domination of another population..." (Tyson, 2006, p. 47). My thoughts grumbled away rebelliously as I read on. Of course it's all true, but England isn't the only nation to have colonised people, I muttered away internally, what about....Ok. I stopped there. Time for a break. I surfed the web aimlessly for a while, watched some t.v, and had a weekend away from study. The following Monday I returned to Postcolonialism with a fresh, and slightly more open mind.

And aren't I glad I did.

Individual identity and cultural beliefs

For a couple of weeks now, we've been discussing the notion of Discourse communities and how we navigate these various communities on a daily basis. As I've already stated on this blog, I find this idea fascinating, so I was pleased when I found what I believe to be a connection to Postcolonial criticism. Tyson (2006) explains that topics in Postcolonialism "illustrate the...recognition of the close relationship between psychology and ideology, or more specifically, between individual identity and cultural beliefs" (p. 427). Colonised people are walking a cultural balance-beam between their culture prior to colonization and the culture forced upon them when colonised. This is often called "double consciousness"; "a way of perceiving the world that is divided between two antagonistic cultures: that of the colonizer and that of the indigenous community" (p. 421). But I think this balancing act between two (or more) cultures is not unique to postcolonial people; isn't this a phenomenon that all people experience as their lives grow and develop and encapsulate new people/identities/cultures?

As an example, I recall a class during my English degree in the UK. In that class the professor asked if I was "working-class". I responded that of course I was - I have a very strong working class identity from my parents and grandparents. "No" she replied, and explained that now that I was undertaking a Bachelor's degree I would be clearly defined as "middle class". At the time I got very annoyed and did not agree at all, but in fact, it's probably true. My intention here is not to start a "class" discussion, but instead to illustrate that by completing a Bachelor's degree I was moving from my indigenous culture into another, opposing cultural, with its own unique values. As this change took place, one culture did not trump the other, instead I had to negotiate the two cultures within my own identity (which in this case, as in Postcolonialism, happened to be somewhat opposing cultures, but I don't think they always have to be opposing).

Some Postcolonial theorists believe that "even if there had been no colonization, the ancient culture would have changed by now...therefore, Postcolonial identity is a dynamic, constantly evolving hybrid of native and colonial cultures", and within this hybrid culture is a "productive, exciting, positive force in a shrinking world that is itself becoming more and more culturally hybrid" (p. 422). This is why Postcolonialism started to appeal to me, because within each of us I believe there is a hybrid cultural state based on where we come from, where we've been, where we are now, and where we intend to go in life. This unique mix within each person is an exciting resource, especially in education, where I believe lived experiences and beliefs are crucial elements for successful learning. This idea is also similar to the idea of Discourse communities, in that we utilise different languages and elements of ourselves depending on the community we are interacting with.

I've only begun to scratch the surface of Postcolonialism with this post, and I confess it's all a little messy and shallow in it's thinking. I have lots more I want to reflect upon in future weeks, especially as someone from one culture living in another culture. I'd also like very much to look at adult education with a Postcolonial lens. For a while now, I've been thinking about adult literacy students as a group who have been "othered" in education, but I'm not a keen feminist (so far, but who knows; last week I wasn't a keen Postcolonialist!) so I've been looking for a theory that incorporates the idea of otherness and oppression that could relate to these adult learners, and I think Postcolonialism might be it. Much more reading is needed (when isn't it?!), but let's see what happens; there's definitely lots more to come.