Nationalism and Colonialism

 

The examination of nationalism during decolonization has generated diverse viewpoints, leading to disagreements about its role and dynamics. Political nationalism challenges the idea of 'colonial difference' externally, while cultural nationalism seeks to preserve it internally in a reformed manner. This complex interplay continues to have significant consequences for Africa today.

 

Benedict Anderson's work, 'Imagined Communities,' contributes to our understanding of the origin and global spread of nationalism. He suggests that the emergence of anti-colonial nationalisms is influenced by native 'bilingual intelligentsias.' These individuals, exposed to "modern Western culture in the broadest sense," played a crucial role in the rise of anti-colonial nationalism. By speaking the language of colonial rulers and having experienced life in Europe or North America, they used their knowledge to shape a nationalist consciousness when denied power by colonial regimes.

 

However, critics challenge Anderson's account, arguing that it diminishes the agency of the colonized world. Loomba contends that accepting Anderson's explanation implies that "anti-colonial nationalism is itself made possible and shaped by European political and intellectual history". This reduces it to a 'derivative discourse' relying on models and language borrowed from colonial powers. The Subaltern Studies collective, especially Chatterjee, questions what is left for nationalisms worldwide if they have to choose from predefined forms provided by Europe and the Americas. Chatterjee emphasizes that these regions not only shaped "colonial enlightenment and exploitation" but also "anti-colonial resistance and post-colonial misery," highlighting the enduring colonization of imaginations.

 

 Chatterjee acknowledges Euro-centrism in Anderson's views but argues that anti-colonial nationalism focused on the differences between Western and Asian/African identities, rather than a specific identity. To understand this, we can distinguish between nationalism as a political movement (external) and nationalism as a cultural construct (internal). The former challenges the colonial state, while the latter allows the colonized to create their own personal space.

 

In the cultural realm, nationalism shapes a modern project that isn't Western. Chatterjee argues that this is where the nation, as an imagined community, comes into existence. Anti-colonial nationalism often asserted control over language, religion, art, education, and popular culture, asserting sovereignty in Asia and Africa. Nigerian cultural nationalism in literature and filmmaking emphasized indigenous elements, proposing alternative representational paradigms. In this internal realm, anti-colonial nationalisms aimed to maintain reshaped notions of 'difference' to resist modern disciplinary power structures.

 

Externally, where nationalism is a political movement, efforts are made to eliminate the imprints of colonial difference. The colonial state's authority relied on maintaining the otherness of the ruling group, legitimizing actions by affirming their superiority. Colonial difference took various forms, with race often determining eligibility for governance and civil society participation. Language, too, occasionally restricted freedom of speech. South Africa is an example where colonial differences were stark. Anti-colonial nationalism aimed to challenge these differences by highlighting the incongruity between colonial rule conditions and the modern regimes sought by colonialists.

 

Colonial rulers justified their actions by incorporating social regulations to discipline individuals, claiming it made power more effective and humane. Anti-colonial nationalists agreed with this idea but argued that colonial rule went against the true principles of modern governance. For example, Nelson Mandela and the ANC in South Africa asserted their rights by referring to the norms of enlightened modern states. Similarly, in Algeria, nationalist leader Emir Khalid highlighted the conflict between French colonial policies and the modern regime of power it aimed to promote. He used assimilationist rhetoric against the colonial system, demanding equal rights for Muslims. This approach reflects the nationalist hegemony project, aiming to establish and expand modern forms of disciplinary power. In many ways, post-colonial states formed through nationalism have adopted the ideas and practices of colonialism.