Then and Now: Colonialism, Imperialism and postcoloialisim

• Introduction:-

The idea that postcolonialism is a critical approach is the fact that the way colonization and imperialism is described by scholars who are mostly European or American does not leave an alternative future for former colonies. ... The contemporary focus is on the critical history of colonialism through representations.

• Colonialism:-

In 2009, the Government of the United Kingdom (UK) suspended parts of the Constitution of the Turks and Caicos Islands (TCI), a British Overseas Territory, in response to allegations of systemic corruption in the territory. Direct rule from London was imposed over the democratically elected local government. This unilateral, top-down action removed the constitutional right to trial by jury, suspended the ministerial government and the House of Assembly, and charged a UK-appointed Governor with the administration of the islands.

A tentative period for elections has been given (fall 2012 at the earliest), but this is subject to the deliberation of the British government and tied to a series of specific milestones that must be met. These announcements provoked protests and demonstrations by the islanders. The suspension of the TCI government over corruption allegations seems to run contrary to the way in which financial and governance crises are handled around the world, including in the UK itself. Scandals are part of political life, but constitutions are not suspended nor are democratically elected governments and institutions disbanded.

• Imperialism:-

Imperialism is a policy or ideology of extending a nation's rule over foreign nations, often by military force or by gaining political and economic control of other areas.^[2] Imperialism was both normal and common worldwide throughout recorded history, the earliest examples dating from the mid-third millennium BC, diminishing only in the late 20th century. In recent times, it has been considered morally reprehensible and prohibited by international law. Therefore, the term is used in international propaganda to denounce an opponent's foreign policy.^[3]

The term can be applied to the colonization of the Americas between the 15th and 19th centuries, as opposed to New Imperialism, which describes the expansion of Western Powers and Japan during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. However, both are examples of imperialism.

• Postcoloialisim:-

Postcolonialism or postcolonial studies is the academic study of the cultural legacy of colonialism and imperialism, focusing on the human consequences of the control and exploitation of colonized people and their lands. Post colonialism is a critical theory analysis of the history, culture, literature, and discourse of European imperial power. The name postcolonialism is modeled on postmodernism, with which it shares certain concepts and methods, and may be thought of as a reaction to or departure from colonialism in the same way postmodernism is a reaction to modernism. The ambiguous term colonialism may refer either to a system of government or to an ideology or world view underlying that system—in general postcolonialism represents an ideological response to colonialist thought, rather than simply describing a system that comes after colonialism. The term postcolonial studies may be preferred for this reason. Postcolonialism encompasses a wide variety of approaches, and theoreticians may not always agree on a common set of definitions. On a simple level, it may seek through anthropological study to build a better understanding of colonial life from the point of view of the colonized people, based on the assumption that the colonial rulers are unreliable narrators.

• Conclusion:-

Postcolonial literature, once theorized as Third World literature, perhaps soon to be recategorized again as global literatures, or as the literatures of globalization, has had an important role to play in fostering market expansion in the publishing industry. Much of my study has been premised on this argument, yet its terms suggest a larger sphere of influence and dissemination than reality warrants. Over the past few decades literary fiction has become a viable, recognized marketing niche, and the incorporation of postcolonial writers has been an important part of its global entrenchment. Still, it continues to command nothing like the market share of mass-market romance fiction, or Japanese manga, or textbooks for those learning English.1 Very few regular readers read literary fiction and an even smaller number read postcolonial literature. Those who do thus belong to a relatively specialized field, one that is not divided up into groups of corrupt cosmopolitan consumers and authentic engaged global citizens, or of canny producers and dehistoricizing, exoticizing readers. Or, more correctly, if they are so divided, scholars interested in the materiality of the postcolonial field have not yet completed the kind of research that would prove as much.

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