Cultures of Decolonisation : Transnational Productions and Practices, 1945–70

Cultures of decolonisation combines studies of visual, literary and material cultures in order to explore the complexities of the 'end of empire' as a process. Where other accounts focus on high politics and constitutional reform, this volume reveals the diverse ways in which cultures contributed to wider political, economic and social change. This book demonstrates the transnational character of decolonisation, thereby illustrating the value of comparison - between different cultural forms and diverse places - in understanding the nature of this wide-reaching geopolitical change. Individual chapters focus on architecture, theatre, museums, heritage sites, fine art and interior design, alongside institutions such as artists' groups, language agencies and the Royal Mint, across Africa, Asia, the Caribbean and Europe. Offering a range of disciplinary perspectives, these contributions provide revealing case studies for those researching decolonisation across the humanities and social sciences. Ruth Craggs is a Lecturer in Cultural and Historical Geography at King's College, London, Ruth Craggs is a Lecturer in Cultural and Historical Geography at King's College, London Claire Wintle is a Senior Lecturer in History of Art and Design at the University of Brighton. Cultures of decolonisation 2 Contents 6 List of illustrations 8 List of contributors 10 Acknowledgements 12 Introduction Reframing cultures of decolonisation: Ruth Craggs and Claire Wintle 14 PART I Decolonising metropolitan cultures? 40 1 Black America and the overthrow of the European colonial order:The tragic voice of Richard Wright: Bill Schwarz 42 2 Humanist modernism: Ralph Hotere and ‘New Commonwealth Internationalism’: Damian Skinner 64 3 Henry Swanzy, Sartre’s zombie? Black Power and the transformation of the Caribbean Artists Movement: Rob Waters 80 4 Anxiety abroad: Austerity, abundance and race in post-war visual culture: David C. Wall 99 PART II Performing decolonisation 120 5 The peasant armed: Bengal, Vietnam and transnational solidarities inUtpal Dutt’s Invincible Vietnam: Abin Chakraborty 122 6 Cultural heritage as performance:Re-enacting Angkorian grandeur in postcolonial Cambodia (1953–70): Michael Falser 139 7 ‘I still don’t have a country’:The southern African settler diaspora after decolonisation: Jean Smith 169 PART III Decolonising expertise 188 8 Managing the cultural past in the newly independent states of Mali and Ghana: Sophie Mew 190 9 More than tropical? Modern housing,expatriate practitioners and the Volta River Project in decolonising Ghana: Viviana d’Auria 209 10 Designing change: Coins and the creation of new national identities: Catherine Eagleton 235 11 What colonial legacy? The Dewan Bahasadan Pustaka (House of Language) and Malaysia’s cultural decolonisation: Rachel Leow 258 Index 278 What were the distinctive cultures of decolonisation that emerged between 1945 and 1970? What can they tell us about the complexities of the 'end of empire' as a process? How did they reflect and influence the processes of dramatic geopolitical change wrought by the dismantling of European empires? 'Cultures of Decolonisation brings together studies of visual, literary and material cultures to explore these questions