Postcolonialism: An Historical Introduction

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Summary: A GENEALOGY OF POSTCOLONIALISM
Review: Robert Young's Postcolonialism: An Historical Introduction is indisputably the best reader on the subject. Young's book eschews the usual narrative history of anticolonial resistance and postcolonial theory in favour of a genealogical one, focusing on social, political and cultural origins of resistance and the academic discipline of postcolonialism.He is also careful not to discourage students from 'theory', and effectively combines the thematic survey mode (seen in Ania Loomba's Colonialism/Postcolonialism and Leela Gandhi's Postcolonial Theory: An Introduction, among others). Beginning with a brilliant exposition of the terms colonialism, imperialism and neo-imperialism, Young moves on to discuss Latin American, Asian and African colonisations by France, England and other European powers from the 18th century. Young historicises the rise of anticolonial thought by looking closely at the moments in which these emerged. Further, Young is careful to locate the economic, administrative and social variations in the 'native' cultural formations. Young thus skirts the danger of homogenising colonialism when he is able to distinguish between, say, French and British 'empires'. Young's genealogy also takes into account figures and moments persistently ignored by postcolonial thinkers and critics: Fanon, Nkrumah, Cesaire among others. He thus locates the 'holy trinity' of postcolonial studies (SPivak, Bhabha, Said) in terms of this 'tradition'. Written in lucid prose, with a keen sense of historical 'engagements' (by which i mean cross-fertilisation and 'borrowing' of ideas during the various nationalist movements across the world) in the anticolonial struggles, Young's work is easily a text book for students and researches. If one may inject the personal, what i found fascinating in the book was Young's constant interrogation of the evolution of certain meanings,associations,and tropes in anticolonialism and postcolonialism. With a finesse that he no doubt owes to his poststructuralist 'training', Youn is able to unravel the threads of terms like 'empire' and 'colony' in terms of etymology and patterns of usage. the concluding sections, with essays on Foucault and Tunisia and Derrida and ALgeria, Young once more underscores the ideological and intellectual debt that contemporary postcolonal theory owes to deconstruction and poststructuralism. Young retains the verve, respect for differences and varied formations (cultural, linguistic, political) and brilliance of his previous White Mythologies and Colonial Desire, and adds precision of language, a fine 'historical sense', and smoothness of style to his already considerable repertoire. Postcolonialism: An Historical Introduction is an indispensable book for anyone interested in the area.

Rating:
Summary: A new standard in the field
Review: There are other books on postcolonialism, but this one stands head and shoulders above them. Unlike other postcolonial writers, Young does not treat postcolonialism as one long ideological debate. All the ones I've read tend to focus on the ideas of Fanon, Said, Spivak, Bhabha while ignoring the social movements and individuals whose struggles against colonialism make the discussion possible. Actually, Fanon is the exception here, but that only proves the rule. Young traces the rise of anticolonial movements and ideologies and their development into postcolonialism. As Young shows, the anticolonialists of the early 20th century didn't simply provide a starting point for later thinkers, but took positions which are still influential today.

Young is the only author I've seen who even broaches the role of the Comintern. He does and excellent job portraying the Comintern's attempt to develop a coherent policy towards anticolonial struggles without glossing over its contradictions. Young also expands his scope to include those not ususally discussed in studies of postcolonialism: Mariartegui, Cabral,Cesaire, even James Connolly. My only disagreement is with his assessment of Gandhi. Young puts forth a creative interpretation of Gandhi's tactics and their effects, particularly in destabilizing meanings. I, however, disagree with the idea that such tactics led to the liberation of India, but that's a whole other discussion.

Overall, this is an excellent introduction to the topic which covers far more ground than any other book in the field.

Rating:
Summary: A new standard in the field
Review: There are other books on postcolonialism, but this one stands head and shoulders above them. Unlike other postcolonial writers, Young does not treat postcolonialism as one long ideological debate. All the ones I've read tend to focus on the ideas of Fanon, Said, Spivak, Bhabha while ignoring the social movements and individuals whose struggles against colonialism make the discussion possible. Actually, Fanon is the exception here, but that only proves the rule. Young traces the rise of anticolonial movements and ideologies and their development into postcolonialism. As Young shows, the anticolonialists of the early 20th century didn't simply provide a starting point for later thinkers, but took positions which are still influential today.

Young is the only author I've seen who even broaches the role of the Comintern. He does and excellent job portraying the Comintern's attempt to develop a coherent policy towards anticolonial struggles without glossing over its contradictions. Young also expands his scope to include those not ususally discussed in studies of postcolonialism: Mariartegui, Cabral,Cesaire, even James Connolly. My only disagreement is with his assessment of Gandhi. Young puts forth a creative interpretation of Gandhi's tactics and their effects, particularly in destabilizing meanings. I, however, disagree with the idea that such tactics led to the liberation of India, but that's a whole other discussion.

Overall, this is an excellent introduction to the topic which covers far more ground than any other book in the field.

Rating:
Summary: A Revolutionary History
Review: This book is completely different in scope from any other introduction to postcolonialism. There is no other book that compares with it. What is innovative about 'Postcolonialism: An Historical Introduction' is the way in which Young for the first time traces, in great detail, the historical origins of post-colonialism to the anti-colonial movements. He shows how the earliest of these began in Europe itself during the times of the great imperial expansions, but were then superseded by indigenous movements which were particularly inspired by the appearance of the first state dedicated to the overthrow of western imperialism, Bolshevik Russia.

Young demonstrates, however, that what was characteristic of these anticolonial movements was the way in which they integrated Marxist critiques of colonialism with their own specific local cultures and social conditions (particularly, in the case of many colonies, the impoverished lives of the landless peasantry). In three brilliant chapters, Young shows how the situation in India was markedly different from that of most other colonies, particularly as a result of the influence of India's foremost anticolonial activist, Gandhi. This different history, he suggests, partly accounts for why much of contemporary postcolonial theorising has emerged from India. In a fascinating chapter on the role of women in the anti-colonial movements, Young argues that in many ways postcolonial theory has elaborated revolutionary ideas first developed by subaltern women activists during the colonial period.

Overall, this made me rethink my whole attitude to postcolonialism, showing me how it is fundamentally the product of over a century of 'third world' political activism that has been engaged in rethinking as well as contesting the ideologies of western dominance. It is striking that while there are many books on colonialism and imperialism, this is the first book to provide a history of the anticolonial movements and to analyse their achievements. One long-term goal of many anti-colonial intellectual-activists was to revolutionise thinking in the academy - a process that is now on-going through the intervention of postcolonial theory itself.

Highly recommended.

Rating:
Summary: A Revolutionary History
Review: This book is completely different in scope from any other introduction to postcolonialism. There is no other book that compares with it. What is innovative about `Postcolonialism: An Historical Introduction' is the way in which Young for the first time traces, in great detail, the historical origins of post-colonialism to the anti-colonial movements. He shows how the earliest of these began in Europe itself during the times of the great imperial expansions, but were then superseded by indigenous movements which were particularly inspired by the appearance of the first state dedicated to the overthrow of western imperialism, Bolshevik Russia.

Young demonstrates, however, that what was characteristic of these anticolonial movements was the way in which they integrated Marxist critiques of colonialism with their own specific local cultures and social conditions (particularly, in the case of many colonies, the impoverished lives of the landless peasantry). In three brilliant chapters, Young shows how the situation in India was markedly different from that of most other colonies, particularly as a result of the influence of India's foremost anticolonial activist, Gandhi. This different history, he suggests, partly accounts for why much of contemporary postcolonial theorising has emerged from India. In a fascinating chapter on the role of women in the anti-colonial movements, Young argues that in many ways postcolonial theory has elaborated revolutionary ideas first developed by subaltern women activists during the colonial period.

Overall, this made me rethink my whole attitude to postcolonialism, showing me how it is fundamentally the product of over a century of `third world' political activism that has been engaged in rethinking as well as contesting the ideologies of western dominance. It is striking that while there are many books on colonialism and imperialism, this is the first book to provide a history of the anticolonial movements and to analyse their achievements. One long-term goal of many anti-colonial intellectual-activists was to revolutionise thinking in the academy - a process that is now on-going through the intervention of postcolonial theory itself.

Highly recommended.

Rating:
Summary: ideas, cultures, histories
Review: This book shows both the advantages and disadvantages of the survey approach to postcolonial studies. As an overview it a valuable introduction to the historical impact the various forms of imperial rule and its aftermath had in a wide variety of locations but the best studies concentrate on one specific location at a time. Postcolonial theory is also best understood in specific context as each regions history largely determines the theory that has grown within and been responsive to its specific circumstance. Thus theory as practiced in West Africa is sharply distinct from that practiced in the Caribbean or India. The comparative survey form has the advantage of being in the best position to register global movements and historical shifts but also presents the danger of reenacting colonization by presenting a collection of exotic settings and circumstance for study in the academic setting which leads to some of the criticism of postcolonial studies and theory in particular as radical chic, ie refashioning the third world in terms that make it interesting for consumption by western intelligentsia. Recent work in the field presents an additional danger of giving the postcolonial the postmodern treatment, a convenient alliance of posts which may serve the academic communitys need for perpetual reformulation, but a perilously reductive approach. Good completely competent introduction, though there are at least four or five other choices in this category which cover the same ground.