Huggan and Tiffin, "Postcolonial Ecocriticism" (Book Note)

 

Postcolonial Ecocriticism provides a thorough overview and insightful analysis of the key issues and debates shaping the intersection of postcolonial and ecological studies. The book delves into various dimensions, exploring the distinctions and potential linkages between environmental perspectives in the Northern and Southern hemispheres. It critically examines the complex legacies of development and grapples with the challenges of ascribing agency to subaltern entities, including non-human elements.

 

One focal point of the discussion is the role of genre, such as the contrast between pastoral and protest literature, in shaping the parameters of the postcolonial and eco/zoocritical imagination. Huggan and Tiffin navigate the intricate relationship between activism and aesthetics, acknowledging the tension that arises from the dual objective of legitimizing the attention given to literature as a means to address tangible issues while also asserting the autonomy of the imagination.

 

The first section, titled "Postcolonialism and the Environment," meticulously elucidates the authors' perspective on postcolonial ecocriticism. They clarify that their approach is not merely an additional offshoot of either ecological studies or postcolonial studies but rather emerges as a logical and consequential fusion of these two academic disciplines. Huggan and Tiffin aim to underscore the interconnectedness of ecological and postcolonial concerns, emphasizing their shared intellectual terrain.

After extensively citing examples and references from authors who draw parallels between racism and speciesism, and who identify Eurocentric, neo-imperialist "hegemonic centrism" as the underlying principle of the "colonial/imperial underpinnings of environmental practices," Huggan and Tiffin delve into the common ground of these concerns. In the first half of the book, they dissect issues of 'development' and 'entitlement,' meticulously examining both the rhetoric and practices surrounding these concepts. This examination spans legal, political, and material dimensions, as well as individual perspectives involving emotions and personal connections.

 

The authors engage in a scholarly critique, emphasizing the neglected intellectual task of scrutinizing how the notion of "development" functions as an enabling myth of neo-colonialist ideology and a catalyst for commodification. They argue that such critique often falls into unbalanced and polemical perspectives, urging for a more nuanced and contextually grounded approach within postcolonial ecocriticism.

 

The second half of the book shifts focus to animals as the "cultural other," addressing the historical construction of civilization against the wild and animalistic. This concentration poses a dual challenge: studying animality as a cultural trope that has enabled economic exploitation and degradation, and approaching animals as they exist in cultural texts beyond mere symbols or allegories.

 

The authors emphasize the imaginative potential of fiction, exploring the tensions between aesthetics, advocacy, and activism. They acknowledge the challenge of whether literature can effectively deal with environmental issues, considering the traditional emphasis on plot, character, and psychological states. Huggan and Tiffin confront this challenge directly, recognizing the potential of fictional literature to contest western ideologies of development and resolve contradictions in our representation and dealings with the non-human other.

 

The book concludes with a subchapter dedicated to the tensions between aesthetics and activism, emphasizing literature's specific aesthetic properties and its potential to transcend categorizations like "protest literature." Huggan and Tiffin argue that postcolonial ecocriticism's task is to contest western ideologies of development and address the crisis of humanism in the face of environmental challenges.

 

In the final section, the authors explore the idea of an ecocriticism "after nature," scrutinizing the crisis of humanism and posthumanist concepts for their potential to deal with modernity and our estrangement from the natural world. By reading various theorists against the backdrop of a humanism in crisis, they point to the imaginative possibilities opened up by the implosion of nature and culture.

 

Ultimately, Huggan and Tiffin position postcolonial ecocriticism as a crucial means of "thinking beyond the human," acknowledging the diverse approaches within the field and offering a comprehensive overview that illuminates theoretical fault-lines and conflicts.