In Linked Histories: Postcolonial Studies in a Globalized
World, McCallum and Faith provide insight into the potential landscape of a
globalized post-colonial studies field. Although post-colonial and
globalization studies intersect, there is a limited exploration of these
intersections. Globalization's focus on cultural materialism and capital's
constitutive forces across borders doesn't neatly align with post-colonialism's
emphasis on decolonization, subaltern historiography, and the persistence of
historical perspectives. The volume by McCallum and Faith fulfills its promise
by establishing connections between post-colonialism and globalization, with a
specific focus on history as the foundation for these connections.
Mary Lawlor's essay on the Shoshone Tribal Cultural
Centre and Bill Ashcroft's essay on post-colonialism in Latin America delve
into how history challenges and facilitates a more global approach to
post-colonial studies. Lawlor explores the cultural centre as a site
negotiating tourism and historiography, moving away from typical discussions of
authenticity. She suggests that contemporary Acoma Indians have appropriated
mainstream tourism and historiography methods, providing Euro-Americans with
insights into their own culture and history.
Ashcroft's meditation on testimonial literature reveals
the permeability of boundaries between authentic and artificial cultural forms.
He contends that testimonial literature, positioned at the intersection of
literature and history, questions standard forms and redefines the notions of
literature and history. Both essays extend post-colonial inquiries beyond the
geographical confines of anglophone North American post-colonialism,
emphasizing the centrality of history and its material transmission.
In their discussions concerning post-colonial studies in
the context of China and Maori political activism, Wang Ning and Victor Li
challenge the boundaries of the field. Victor Li, exploring the works of
Rigoberta Menchu, Edouard Glissant, and Chinua Achebe, critiques Simon During's
suggestion that Maori political activists do not require post-colonialism,
contending that post-colonialism might infiltrate the Maori lexicon as a
loanword, adapting to local needs while retaining its metropolitan origin. Li
reaffirms the heterogeneous nature of resistance, countering attempts to
homogenize post-colonial theory in the Chinese academy.
In a two-part essay, Victor Li evaluates the reception of
major post-colonial scholars like Edward Said, Gayatri Spivak, and Homi Bhabha
in Chinese academic circles. He opposes the push within the Chinese academy to
"decolonize Chinese culture and literary discourse," cautioning
against valorizing a 'pure' Chinese language and literature divorced from
European influences. Rey Chow's contribution underscores the potential presence
of fascism beneath idealistic pursuits.
Exploring the globalizing aspect of post-colonial studies
from the standpoint of migrancy and dislocation, the essays by Revathi
Krishnaswamy and Vijay Mishra emphasize the need for attention to class and
gender, challenging the prevailing 'mythology of migrancy.' Krishnaswamy
critiques the paradigmatic post-colonial figure Salman Rushdie, while Mishra
explores the possibilities of Lyotard's differend in understanding the
relationship between the diasporic and the post-colonial.
Essays by Rob Cover, Monika Fludernik, and Kalpana
Sheshadri-Cooks further contribute to the globalization of post-colonial
studies. They examine the intersection of queer identities and class, delve
into the psychological legacies of post-colonialism, and scrutinize the
workings of the margins within post-colonial studies.
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