What is Postcolonialism? A Short Introduction to Postcolonial Theory

What is postcolonialism and why is postcolonial theory important to understand today? Postcolonial literature and film are vibrant and diverse fields that offer a critical approach to studying the socio-economic and cultural relationship between former colonial powers and current post-colonial states, as well as reflections on how the history of colonization has transformed our identities and conditions the ways in which we see the world around us.

Want to know more about postcolonial theory? Check out our video on postcolonial film theory:    • What is Postcolonial Film? A Short In...  

The host, Dr. Alexander K. Smith, holds an MA from Oxford University and a PhD in the anthropology of Tibet and the Himalayas from the University of Paris, France.

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A few recommended readings:

Boehmer, Elleke. 2005 [1995]. Colonial and Postcolonial Literature: Migrant Metaphors. Oxford University Press.

Gandhi, Leela. 1998. Postcolonial Theory: A critical introduction. Allen and Unwin.

Loomba, Ania. 2005 [1988]. Colonialism/Postcolonialism. Routledge

Moore-Gilbert, Bart, Gareth Stanton and Willy Maley. 1997. Postcolonial Criticism. Routledge.

Young, Robert J. C. 2001. Postcolonialism: An Historical Introduction. Blackwell.

I don’t often recommend primary source readers, but in the case of postcolonial writing, a great deal of the literature is so dense that it helps to have an expert unpack core readings. You can hardly do better than Moore-Gilbert, Stant, and Maley’s edited volume (1997). It's probably one of the better entry-points to the field that I’ve read. Loomba (1988) and Boehmer (1995) are both very solid monographs that provide contrasting perspectives on the intellectual history of postcolonialism. I would recommend reading them together, while Gandhi (1998) is probably the most political historically-grounded of three histories I’ve recommended. All very good starting points. If you already have an understanding of postmodern literary criticism and at least a layman’s understanding of Marxist academic theory, then I would highly recommend Young (2001). It’s not entirely unproblematic in its historical methodology, but I think that it will be considered a masterwork in the field – and already is by some.