POTGIETER-MA-TR02-81.pdf

1.1 Die postkoloniale projek:
HOOFSTUK 1
Ashcroft et al. postuleer die volgende in The Post-colonial Studies Reader (1995:1):
The most formidable ally of economic and political control had long been the
business of “knowing” other peoples because this “knowing” underpinned imperial
dominance and became the mode by which they were increasingly persuaded to
know themselves: that is, as subordinate to Europe.
’n Groot deel van die beskawingsmissie van koloniseerders was om die Europese taal, literatuur
en kennis uit te voer na die kolonies, waardeur die rykdom van inheemse kulture onderdruk en
oorweldig is deur die oormag van die imperialisme. Ngugi Wa Thiong’o (1986:3) verduidelik dat
hierdie “cultural bomb” van die imperialisme die volgende uitwerking gehad het: “… to
annihilate a people’s belief in their names, in their languages, in their environment, in their
heritage of struggle, in their unity, in their capacities and ultimately in themselves” (White,
1993:4).
Die verskeidenheid vorme wat Europese imperialisme aangeneem het, of dit nou deur
doelbewuste beplanning of toevallig was, het egter in die postkoloniale literatuur ’n onvoorsiene
wending geneem:
Rather than simply being the writing, which came after empire, postcolonial literature is
that which critically scrutinizes the colonial relationship. It is writing that sets out in one
way or another to resist colonial perspectives. As well as a change in power, decolonisation
demanded symbolic overhaul, a reshaping of dominant meanings. Postcolonial literature
formed part of that overhaul (Boehmer, 1995:3)
Postkoloniale literatuur is dus die resultaat van die interaksie tussen imperialistiese kultuur en die
komplekse verskeidenheid van inheemse kulturele aktiwiteite wat die dominantes wat deur die
kolonialisme tot stand gekom het, bevraagteken en ondermyn.
Dit is egter belangrik om in gedagte te hou dat meeste postkoloniale gemeenskappe
steeds, selfs ná onhafhanklikheid, onder een of ander vorm van neokoloniale dominasie staan.
Edlmair sê die volgende oor die Karibiese gebied:
The region represents a host of different political structures, ranging from complete
independence, to a variety of forms of economic or political dependence, to that of
a continuing colonial status. Great Britain, France and the Netherlands continue to
exercise direct political power over parts of the region, and for many Caribbean
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