English Postcoloniality: Literatures from Around the World (Contributions to the Study of World Literature)

As the British empire expanded throughout the world, the English language played an important role in power relations between Britain and its colonies. English was used as a colonizing agent to suppress the indigenous cultures of various peoples and to make them subject to British rule. With the end of World War II, many countries became gradually decolonized, and their indigenous cultures experienced a renaissance. Colonial mores and power systems clashed and combined with indigenous traditions to create postcolonial texts. This volume treats postcoloniality as a process of cultural and linguistic interplay, in which British culture initially suppressed indigenous cultures and later combined with them after the decline of the British empire. The first section of this book provides an introductory overview of English postcoloniality. This section is followed by chapters discussing postcoloniality and literature from an historical perspective in particular countries around the world. The third section gives special attention to the literature and culture of indigenous peoples. A selected bibliography concludes the work. Introduction : The Concept Of English Postcoloniality / Radhika Mohanram And Gita Rajan -- Postcolonial Tale / Joy Harjo -- Out Of The Center : Thoughts On The Post-colonial Literatures Of Australia And New Zealand / Ralph J. Crane -- Terrible Beauty Is Born : Irish Literature As A Paradigm For The Formation Of Postcolonial Literatures / Ian Crump -- Caribbean Writing In English : Intimations Of A Historical Nightmare / P.s. Chauhan -- South African Writing In English / John C. Hawley -- Postcolonial East African Literature : Toward A Literature Of The People, For The People, And By The People? / Jeannine Delombard -- Between Cultures : Insights On West African Writing In English / Anthonia Kalu. Language, Identity, And Nation In Postcolonial Indian English Literature / Aparna Dharwadker And Vinay Dharwadker -- Prolegomena To The Study Of Pakistani English And Pakistani Literature In English / Alamgir Hashmi -- Canadian Writing In English And Multiculturalism / Leon Litvack -- Historical Review Of African-american Literature / Christopher Wise And Cora Agatucci -- Margin Or Center? Let Me Tell You! In The Land Of My Ancestors I Am The Centre : Indigenous Writing In Aotearoa / Powhiri Wharemarama Rika-heke -- On Women's Writing In Aotearoa/new Zealand : Patricia Grace, Keri Hulme, Cathie Dunsford / Sigrid Markmann -- Nesting In The Ruins / Norma C. Wilson -- Aboriginal Writing : Twisting The Colonial Super-narrative / Hugh Webb. Edited By Radhika Mohanram And Gita Rajan. Includes Bibliographical References And Index.