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Postcolonial Resistance and Representation - Coggle Diagram
Postcolonial Resistance and Representation
Discursive Resistance (language, narrative, knowledge, representation)
In “The Language of African Literature” from Decolonizing the Mind, Ngũgĩ Wa Thiong’o demonstrates discursive resistance by rejecting colonial language in favor of indigenous African language. He believes in the complete use of African ideas, African philosophy, and African folklore to the fullest extent. He claims that the indigenous language possesses the power to express African identity, culture, and history that are distorted when translated into European language.
“A democratic participation of the people in the shaping of their own lives or in discussing their own lives in language that allows for mutual comprehension is seen as being dangerous to the good government of a country and its institution. African languages addressing themselves to the lives of people become the enemy of a neo-colonial state” (453).
Edward Said demonstrates discursive resistance in Orientalism by challenging and deconstructing the Western ideology and cultural discourse that frames the “Orient” as an inert fact of nature. He links knowledge and power through readings to expose colonial biases in literature to reveal that Orientalism is not an object to truth but a tool for imperial control. Through this he breaks the Western control over defining Eastern identity.
“The Orient is an idea that has a history and tradition of thought, imagery and vocabulary that has given it reality and presence in and for the West. The two geographic entities thus support and to an extent reflect each other” (132)
In “Os” from Zong! by M. NourbeSe Philip, breaks down the language of colonial law to expose violence, silence of natives, and bring memorial to the African victims of the Zong massacre to demonstrate discursive resistance. Throughout the book, Philip utilizes words found in the legal report and separates them to strip them of their power. She disrupts typical logical syntax to create effective space that demonstrates the experience of the victims. Philip’s, breaks the truth by using fragmentations and non-linear language to resists the logic of the slave trade.
Hala Halim’s “Lotus, the Afro-Asian Nexus, and Global South Comparatism” explains discursive resistance by analyzing the journal Lotus. Halim illustrates how African and Asian writers utilize literature and non-Western translational exchanges to challenge Western colonialism dominance. She also explains how the journal places an anti-colonial solidarity to create non-Western intellectual networks.
Chandra Talpade Mohanty’s “Under Western Eyes: Feminist Scholarship and Colonial Discourses” portrays discursive resistance by analyzing the construction of the ‘Third World Women’ as a monolithic subject in Western feminist texts. She claims that these texts describe non-Western women as single powerless victims. She argues that these claims ignore unique histories and cultures and creates Western feminist to indirectly portray themselves as modern and liberated. Mohanty emphasizes that resistance is not about being the same instead, it’s about bringing light to their differences and working together to overcome colonization struggles.
Embodied resistance (body, gender, labor lived experiences)
The short story, “Draupadi” by Mahasweta Devi, demonstrates embodied resistance by portraying Dopdi Mejhan’s violated body as a political tool that demonstrates patriarchal norms and state power. She refused to clothe herself after being raped by soldiers on the oder of Senanayak. Through this she represents resistance, as she dismantles the male glaze that expects shame, vulnerability, and silence from a raped women. This vulnerability turns into a political tool used against the armed soldiers to look at the brutality that they have caused. This shows symbolism of absolute defiance and that even through such horrendous acts she can speak through embodied resistance.
Mahasweta Devi short story “Breast-Giver” demonstrates embodied resistance by portraying Joshoda’s body into a site of production, negotiation and patriarchal exploitation. Joshoda was forced to maintain various children through her supply of milk, turning her body into a relentless factory of reproduction. In the end, she is unable to produce milk and is abandoned which demonstrates the total erasure of her identity once the labor of producing milk ends. Devi emphasizes the tragic experience as the center of political and feminist disclosure as it demonstrates class and gender exploitation.
In Mulk Raj Anand, “The Cobbler and the Machine,” demonstrates embodied resistance through the physical toll demonstrated through Saudagar. He experiences destructive forces of moderation as it demonstrates how modern industrialized labor structures can lead to physical decline of workers, as they are forced into debt and exhaustion. Saudagar’s struggle of keeping up with modern industrialization leads to complete overwork and eventually death. This highlights the dehumanizing impact of capitalist demands that comes with colonialism.
Rigoberta Menchú in Rigoberta Menchú demonstrates embodied resistance by using her lived experiences of structural violence into a political testimony. Her personal narrative served as evidence of the genocide in Guatemala by using her voice, body and pseronal history to challenge the military repression and demand indigenous rights. She also challenges oppression and gender inequalities within her own community and empowers women to break their silence and join the political struggle. Menchú demonstrates embodied resistance through the exploited labor she had to experience. She used this to transform all of her struggles into a sustained collective struggle for human rights.
In Men in the Sun Ghassan Kanafani demonstrates embodied resistance by focusing on labor based experiences of Palestinian refugees. He brings light to the instance suffering and political struggle transformation due to these experiences. Kanafani portrays resistance through the fatal attempt to reclaim agency over their own bodies in extreme hostile conditions. These laborers continued to work even in harsh conditions which led them to death. This demonstrates the consequences of these tragic experiences and shows a more active form of resistance.
Subtle and everyday resistance
In “A Horse and Two Goats,” R. K. Narayan demonstrates subtle everyday resistance through Muni who navigates a power imbalance with a wealthy American tourist. A foreigner wants to buy the clay horse statue that Muni is near. The both did not understand each other due to a language barrier and Muni interpreted that the foreigner wanted to buy his goats. This overall demonstrates the tension between the modern world and traditional rural life. This also demonstrates Muni’s ability to lie and take what he needs without sacrificing his world views.
In “The Coming of the Christ-Child,” Bessie Head shows subtle everyday resistance by demonstrating that resistance is not always about loud protest or fighting, but it can be through reclaiming your spiritual beliefs. He claims that character resistance is an important act as it can benefit their community and culture. He overall believes that power does not come from politicians but from the quiet strength of regular people who refuse to give up. This emphasizes the importance of independent success and strength.
In “The First Party”Attia Hosain demonstrates subtle everyday resistance as the story quietly represents the colonial power through social tension and behavior. The party imitates the British elite culture. Most of the interactions between the native women and the elites were incomplete. This demonstrates that even when the woman was placed in the scenario she never fully became a colonial subject. This demonstrated silent resistance as she never surrendered her true identity in front of the elites. This story also highlights this artificial hierarchy that is common in colonial authorities. This portrays the party as an unnatural event that feels more performative.
Ama Ata Aidoo’s Our Sister Killjoy, or Reflections from a Black-eyed Squint demonstrates subtle everyday resistance through Sissie, a Ghanaian woman that is navigating Europe. Sisse demonstrates resistance of Western colonial ideologies through a black-eyed squint. This means that she refuses to adopt Western perspectives as superior and disrupts the idea of European superiority. Throughout the book, Sissie challenges the neo-colonial mindset silently as we are often exposed to her inner thoughts. Sissie continues to value her African identity and independence even through the challenges she has faced.
Raja Rao’s “The Cow of the Barricades” demonstrates subtle everyday resistance through the blending of spiritual tradition with political struggle. Rao demonstrates that resistance can be sustained in a nonviolence form when facing pressure. Gauri represents a spiritual power. She proves that peaceful presence can be more disruptive than weapons as she disarms the soldiers emotionally. The villagers also demonstrate resistance by sticking together through local traditions and religious festivals to keep their culture alive. Once Gauri is killed, her death becomes a lasting symbol of peace that unites the people.
Violent and revolutionary resistance
In “Concerning Violence,” Frantz Fanon demonstrates that violent and revolutionary resistance is an inevitable and necessary response to absolute systemic violence of colonialism. Fanon strongly believes that decolonization is never a peaceful process, he stated “decolonization is quite simply the replacing of a certain “species” of men by another “species” of men” (35) demonstrating the connection of the colonist and the native. He claims that violence will unbind the colonized from their inferiority complex and make them fearless and gain self-respect. Fanon argues that colonialism breaks the natives culture and in order to gain it theirs must be broken.
In Death and the King’s Horseman Wole Soyinka demonstrates violent and revolutionary resistance through mental and cultural warfare. The play demonstrates Nigeria’s cultural sovereignty against British colonial rule. In the play, the Yoruba characters are interfered with ritual tradition by the British. The British view this ritual as an ignorant epistemic violence against their own culture. This demonstrates violation of the ritual by the British and the spiritual violence the Yoruba inflict on the colonial order in return.
Krishan Chander’s “The Peshawar Express” demonstrates violence and revolutionary resistance by using symbolism through a personified train through the journey from Peshawar to Bombay. Chander uses this train to expose the violence of the Partition as the train witnesses the slaughter of innocent individuals. This demonstrates the refusal of normalizing horrific violence and instead highlights the loss of humanity to challenge the sectarian carnage.
Chinua Achebe’s short story “The Sacrificial Egg” demonstrates violence and revolutionary resistance through symbolism and spiritual reclamation of the African identity against British colonialism. Achebe uses the Kitikpa to describe the smallpox epidemic. The Kitikpa is described as a violent cleansing force used against the colonial order. This ultimately silenced British progress and allowed for the reclamation of power. Achebe uses the sacrificed egg to represent the potential and hope for new life, purity, and reclaiming of culture. Julius is taken back to his indigenous beliefs and spiritual laws when he accidentally destroys the sacred egg. He believes that this is punishment for the detachment of his culture and realizes that these indigenous beliefs can not be erased.
The selected documents from the 1955 Bandung Conference demonstrate violence and revolutionary resistance as Asia and Africa united against the Western nations to gain freedom. Throughout the document, colonialism was described as an evil act that needed to come to an end immediately and demanded for total freedom. Throughout the document, mentionings of support from leaders and the continuation of independent wars. This conference served as a document of revolution by delegitimizing colonial sovereignty and providing political legitimacy to independence fighters. “I recognize that we have gathered here today as a result of scarfies. Sacrifices made by our forefathers and by peoples of our own and younger generations. For me this Hall is filled with and contains the undying, indomitable and invincible spirits of those who went before us. Their struggles and their sacrifice paved the way for this meeting.” (1)
