Hello everyone, I'm writing this blog on the Future of Postcolonial Studies. This task is given by Dilip Barad sir. In which I try to summarise Ania Loomba's Two articles.
Globalization and the Future of Postcolonial Studies (Ania Loomba - 2nd Ed. of colonialism/Postcolonialism :
This article discusses the concept of "Empire" as proposed by Michael Hardt and Antonio Negri in their book of the same name. They argue that contemporary global dynamics are best understood as a decentralized and Deterritorialization form of sovereignty, contrasting it with traditional European empires. Unlike Imperialism, this new concept of Empire does not establish a territorial center of power, fixed boundaries, or barriers.
"In contrast to imperialism, Empire establishes no territorial center of power and does not rely on fixed boundaries or barriers. It is a decen tered and deterritorializing apparatus of rule that progressively incor porates the entire global realm within its open, expanding frontiers. Empire manages hybrid identities, flexible hierarchies, and plural exchanges through modulating networks of command. The distinct national colors of the imperial map of the world have merged and blended in the imperial global rainbow."
While the United States plays a significant role in this transformation, Empire transcends nationalism and territoriality.
Hardt and Negri don't directly say that the United States is the new power, but they do believe that what they call "Empire" comes from the global expansion of the US's internal project. This project aimed to include and bring minorities into the mainstream, rather than pushing them away.
"Empire is born through the global pansion of the internal US constitutional project', a project which ught to include and incorporate minorities into the mainstream rather an simply expel or exclude them".
Hardt and Negri liken the modern Empire to the ancient Roman Empire instead of European colonialism because "both incorporate subject states loosely rather than directly control them", sparking discussions about how to understand global power dynamics with varying viewpoints on its relevance and implications.
Global mobility of money, businesses, workers, products, and people is breaking down old hierarchies and inequalities. It's making countries more democratic and changing how nations relate to each other. This global movement is also creating new opportunities that, in some way, affect everyone in society. Cultural critics like Arjun Appadurai in "Modernity at Large" point out that this global trend brings new experiences, like different places, cultures, communication, foods, clothing, and ways of buying things, showing both the novelty and advantages of globalization.
Globalization has indeed made information and technology more accessible and improved the economies of some regions. But P. Sainath points out that the movement of money has also led to a kind of rigid thinking, like fundamentalism :
"Market fundamentalism destroys more human lives than any other simply because it cuts across all national, cultural, geographic, reli- gious and other boundaries."
The $5 billion gas pipeline project is just the latest move. Two years ago, Bolivia changed its approach and started following the free-market model. They sold state-owned companies, welcomed foreign investment, and reduced government rules. However, things didn't go as planned. Exports have gone down compared to 25 years ago, the economy hasn't grown much, unemployment is high, and Bolivia is still the poorest country in South America.
Joseph E. Stiglitz, a Nobel laureate and former Chief Economist at the World Bank, criticizes globalization as it has been forced on the world by institutions like the World Bank and the IMF. He calls it "market fundamentalism."
"The international financial institutions have pushed a particular ideol ogy-market fundamentalism that is both bad economics and bad politics".
People who support the idea of the new American empire both borrow from the history of past empires and say that the US is unique. For instance, in an essay in The Atlantic Monthly by Robert D. Kaplan, he talks about American dominance through subtler methods, even though global networks exist. This means some believe the US can have its own kind of power while being part of these global networks.
Kaplan gives Ten rules for the US Empire, drawing from British Empire practices and American history.
Rule 1 is about "Manliness," suggesting a strong connection between British colonizers and their subjects.
Rule 5, "Be Light and Lethal," encourages rewriting history openly.
Kaplan argues that these policies should serve as an example for how the US should act globally in the future.
Niall Ferguson believes the US should send its brightest students on imperial missions, learning from Britain's history. However, the American Council of Trustees and Alumni (ACTA) says that many American academics and students are critical of US policies, unlike the general population. On US campuses, it's common to blame Western civilization for global problems, even though it introduced ideas like democracy and human rights. After 9/11, the ACTA report complains that universities are adding courses on Islamic and Asian cultures instead of making sure students understand America's unique contributions and the value of Western civilization.
The core premise of post-colonial theory is that it is immoral for a scholar to put his knowledge of foreign languages and Cultures at the service of American power (Kurtz).
Edward Said's important contribution in his work "Orientalism" wasn't just connecting scholarship with colonial power but also showing how this connection continues in the modern world, with the US at the center. To keep universities as places of free thought and questioning, it's crucial to critique both past and current empires so that scholarship isn't used to serve any specific power, including America.
In recent years, prominent figures in postcolonial studies, such as Gayatri Chakravorty Spivak, have mentioned that 'they 'no longer have a post- colonial perspective. I think postcolonial is the day before yester- day'.
Dipesh Chakrabarty says that all his 'readings in theories of globalization, Marxist analysis of capital, subaltern studies, and postcolonial criticism over the last twenty-five years' have not prepared him for the task of analyzing the planetary crisis of climate change'.
Vandana Shiva, an environmental activist, has been highlighting the link between colonialism and the loss of environmental diversity for many years. She says that capitalism and large international companies have worsened the situation, continuing what started during colonial times. This has harmed sustainable local cultures, which were also more supportive of women, mainly because women played a vital role in producing food and resources.
A report by ACTA (American Council of Trustees and Alumni) titled 'Defending Civilization:
The ACTA report states that many American academics and students are critical of US policies. It also mentions that some people believe Western civilization, which gave us democracy, human rights, and tolerance, is often blamed for global problems. Instead of emphasizing America and Western civilization's unique contributions, universities are quickly adding courses on Islamic and Asian cultures. Even when Western history and literature are taught, they are sometimes criticized for focusing on social issues like poverty and sexuality, which has led to Shakespeare being removed from required courses.
This new Empire directly implicates educational institutions also. In this context, Some people view university courses on post-colonial studies as being critical of America. Edward Said, a notable figure in this field, compared professors supporting American foreign policy to those who supported racist colonial empires in the 19th century. The main idea in postcolonial theory is that it's unethical for scholars to use their knowledge of foreign cultures to benefit American power. Said's work in 'Orientalism' not only showed the link between scholarship and colonial power but also how it continues in today's global context with the US at the center. To maintain universities as places of free thought and critique, discussions about past and present empires are vital.
Rob Nixon points out that the fascination with untouched wilderness is a significant theme in American literature and natural history. However, he notes a problem: this focus tends to ignore the history of colonized peoples, promoting the myth of empty lands. He mentions that much American environmental writing doesn't consider non-American places and their histories, which is a limitation in understanding the broader global context. "Nixon suggests such 'spatial amnesia' is one reason why 'postcolonial criticism' has been suspicious of earth-first 'green- criticism' and therefore has not engaged with questions relating to the environment."
This article talks about conflicts in the third world involving environmental activists like Ken Saro-Wiwa in Nigeria. They are fighting against big multinational companies that, often with the support of the government, harm the land and communities through pollution and exploitation.
The displacement of indigenous communities and land theft are significant issues in regions often studied in postcolonial studies, like South Asia and Africa. For example, in Nigeria, Ken Saro-Wiwa led the Movement for the Survival of the Ogoni People, fighting against multinational companies that wanted to drill for oil in their homeland, causing displacement and environmental damage. Shell Oil was even found to have collaborated in Saro-Wiwa's execution. In India, the Narmada Bachao Andolan (Save the Narmada River Movement) protested against a project funded by multinationals and indigenous capital, which aimed to build many large dams across central India.
The article discusses how certain works of art connect postcolonial studies with ecological issues. In our classroom discussion sir have the reference of Amit Masurkar's "Sherni," as well as Dhruv Bhatt's novel "Tatvamasi," which explores the silence surrounding the Narmada Bachao Andolan movement in India. These works help highlight the relationship between postcolonialism and environmental concerns. And sir also gave the reference of 'RRR' movie, in which Komaram Bheem and Alluri Sitarama Raju(main characters) were brave tribal leaders who fought to protect tribal rights over water, forests, and land.
The Netflix film 'Don't Look Up' serves as an analogy for our present-day culture and our struggle to heed scientific truths.
Dipesh Chakrabarty suggests that in the past, historians thought environmental changes were too slow to significantly impact human history. However, now we've reached a critical point where humans are having a profound and noticeable effect on the environment. We've become the primary force shaping the planet's environment, marking the start of a new geological era called the Anthropocene. Chakrabarty says that, "Climate change, refracted through global capital, will no doubt accentuate the logic of inequality that runs through the rule of capital, some people will no doubt gain temporarily at the expense of others. But the whole crisis cannot be reduced to a story of capitalism. Unlike in the crises of capitalism, there are no lifeboats here for the rich and the privileged."
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