Postcolonialism

Postcolonialism is a vast and diverse area of study that seeks to examine the experiences of peoples and places—colonized and colonizers alike—both during and following the period of formal colonialism. By using postcolonial theory, postcolonial studies attempt to lend voice to the colonized and offer alternative interpretations of the process of colonization and the experiences of colonialism and empire. They also seek to challenge the naturalized assumptions of Western power and knowledge while creating space for alternative (and equally valid) knowledges and power dynamics.

While postcolonial studies originated in the fields of literary and cultural studies, they have since become interdisciplinary engagements that bridge the humanities and social sciences, including human geography. This entry offers an overview of the various meanings of postcolonialism, postcolonial theory, postcolonial studies, and postcoloniality, followed by an exploration of the historical development and critiques of postcolonialism. These include the critique of postcolonial representational analyses’ immateriality, the debatable strength of real-world applicability of postcolonial critiques, and the question of the real beneficiaries of postcolonial destabilizations. It concludes with an examination of the subfields within geography that have employed a postcolonial framework.

Postcolonialism's breadth has aided in the development of multiple, sometimes hotly debated forms of the term postcolonialism itself. In a very basic and literal sense, postcolonialism refers to the period of time following colonialism, or the postindependence time period. However, this simplified notion ignores the continued connectivities, dependencies, exploitations, and forms of neo-imperialism that persist between the formerly colonized states and their former colonizers. The “post” in “postcolonialism” suggests that the era is finished, but as many scholars have pointed out, postcolonialism (like other “posts”) might be better viewed as a process of alteration with lingering colonial links. Postcolonial theorists actively work toward achieving more accurate and sensitive historiographies and representations, an equitable distribution of resources, and a rethinking and restructuring of Western knowledge production. However, to assume that such a goal has ever actually been, or ever will be, achieved is misguided.

Scholars working on postcolonialism use postcolonial theory to refer to the wide range of ideas that form the core of postcolonial studies. The works of foundational thinkers such as Edward Said, Homi Bhabha, and Gayatri Spivak, among others, have been particularly central to the field. Postcolonial studies have used these theories in a variety of ways, from work on political economy to identity and sport studies. Postcoloniality refers to the condition of living in a period of time after colonialism. This incorporates everything from material conditions, including the frequently unequal distribution of resources, to the less material realms, such as the ways in which newly independent peoples perceive their own identities. In addition to the creation of new words, postcolonial scholars have also debated whether or not the word postcolonialism should be hyphenated and even whether the single word postcolonialism does justice to the multiple, varying postcolonialisms in existence throughout the world.