Conclusion: Globalization and the future of Post Colonial Studies

Hello readers! 

This blog is written in response to the thinking activity assigned by Dr. Dilip Barad sir from Department of English, MKBU. In this blog I am going to summarize two articles from Ania Loomba's book - 'Colonialism and Post Colonialism about Post Colonial Studies.  The First article is Conclusion : Globalization and the future of Post Colonial Studies (2nd Edition) and another one is Conclusion : The Future of Post Colonial Studies (3rd Edition). 

Conclusion: Globalization and the future of Post Colonial Studies.

Some of the best known Practitioners of Post Colonial Studies, like Gayatri Chakravorty Spivak, Claim that they no longer have a Post Colonial Perspective.  Post Colonial is the day before yesterday. For Some PostColonialists, both within and Outside literary Studies Such rethink has been Prompted by their engagement with new challenges, such as those Posed by environmental Studies. Thus Dipesh Chakraborty finds that all his readings in theories of Globalization, Marxist analysis of capital , Subaltern Studies, and Post Colonial Criticism over the last twenty five years have not Prepared him for the task of analyzing the Planetary crisis of climate change. In this Article Ania Loomba wants to briefly reflect on some of these challenges and what they mean for a Post Colonial critique. 

 Ecology is a new concern for many intellectuals and activist concerted with the Contemporary legacies of colonialism.  Climate change is coming as a big threat. There are so many videos available on You - tube about Climate change. It is important to see that;

    " How all Constructions destroy the Ecology. In that reference, Post Colonial argument and insights become important ."

Vandana Shiva , an environmental activist. She exposed the Connection between Colonialism and the destruction of environmental diversity.  She argues that the growth of capitalism , and now of trans - national Corporations , excerbated the dynamic begun under Colonialism which has destroyed Sustainable local cultures ; these cultures were also more women friendly , Partly because women's work was so crucially tied to Producing food and fodder. 

 " Ecology and human culture are intricately linked with each other." 

According to Ramachandra Guha and Juan Martinez Alier (1997), there is a critical perspective within American environmentalism, specifically focusing on its intense fascination with the wilderness. Rob Nixon further underscores that this fixation on untouched landscapes is apparent not only in American literature but also in natural history. Nixon introduces the concept of 'spatial amnesia,' proposing that the insistence on preserving pristine wilderness adds to the skepticism of Postcolonial Criticism towards earth-first green criticism, leading to a limited engagement with environmental issues.

Ken Saro-Wiwa, an environmental activist from Nigeria, played a pivotal role in leading the Movement for the Survival of the Ogoni People (MOSOP). This indigenous group in southeast Nigeria faced the threat of large-scale displacement and extensive environmental degradation due to the oil-rich homelands being targeted for drilling by multinational corporations. Unfortunately, Saro-Wiwa was executed after openly criticizing the activities of these multinational oil companies in Nigeria.

In India, the Narmada Bachao Andolan (NBA) orchestrated widespread protests against a project funded by both multinational and indigenous capital. The project aimed to construct numerous large dams across central India, raising concerns not only about ecological damage but also about the displacement of thousands of tribal peoples throughout the Narmada Valley. The protests led by the NBA drew attention to the intricate issues surrounding such development projects, highlighting the environmental and social consequences associated with large-scale dam construction.

 In India , the Narmada Bachao Andolan  (NBA) led widespread Protests against a Project , funded by multinational as well as indigenous capital, to build scores of large dams across central India. The Protests highlighted not just the ecological damage but also the displacement of thousands of trible Peoples all across the Narmada Valley. 

 In last, Ania Loomba Suggested and highlighted four areas about the Future of Post Colonial Studies.  

 1. The Environment 

 2. The history and Present of indigenous Peoples and societies.

 3. Post modern histories and cultures

 4. The Ongoing Colonization of territories labour and Peoples by global capitalism.  

 Here are some examples of Movies which depicts the environmental crisis and concerns.  

 1.Sherni :- 

 

Sherni is 2021 film about a Female forest  officer assigned a task with capturing and  containing a man eating tigress in a remote village. This Film depicts the Wildlife Conversation. 

 2. Don't Look Up :- 

 Don't Look up 2021 film about two low - level astronomers must go on a giant media tour to warn mankind of an approaching comet that will destroy Planet Earth.

 

□ Conclusion  : Globalization and the future of Post Colonial Studies 

Defining Globalization:

Globalization is the term employed to depict the increasing interdependence of the world's economies, cultures, and populations, driven by cross-border trade in goods and services, technological advancements, and the movement of investments, people, and information. Over many centuries, countries have forged economic partnerships to facilitate these interactions. The extensive impacts of globalization are intricate and politically charged. Similar to significant technological progress, globalization brings overall societal benefits while simultaneously affecting specific groups. In simpler terms:

"Globalization is a term used to describe how trade and technology have made the world into a more connected and interdependent place."

 This Particular article talks about the relationship between Globalization and the Future of Post Colonial Studies.  She examines the impact of Globalization on Post Colonial Studies.  She argues that Globalization has led to a more interconnected and transnational world, which has both challenged and expanded the Scope of Postcolonial  Studies.  Ania Loomba identifies several key areas in which Globalization is transforming Postcolonial Studies.  

Globalization has led to the movement of people and Cultures across borders, creating new transnational Communities. Post Colonial Scholars are increasingly examining the experience of these communities, as well as they challenge and redefine traditional notions of Identity and belonging.

Postcolonial Studies: It adopts an interdisciplinary approach that offers a diverse array of academic tools and perspectives for examining the social, cultural, and psychological consequences of colonialism, along with the identity crises stemming from decolonization. In simpler terms, Postcolonialism involves a critical academic exploration of the cultural, political, and economic legacies left by colonialism and imperialism. It focuses on the repercussions of human control and exploitation of colonized people and their lands. The field began to take shape in the 1960s when scholars from previously colonized countries started publishing works that delved into the enduring effects of colonialism, developing a critical theoretical analysis of the history, culture, literature, and discourse of imperial power.

One conceivable definition for Postcolonialism is:

"It entails a deliberate exploration of the experiences of colonialism and its enduring effects, both within the local context of ex-colonial societies and on a broader global scale, encompassing developments believed to be the consequences of empire, both in the past and the present."  

  ● " Post Colonial tool become very much Intresting when it comes to question."

This article also talks about the Perspectives of different Scholars like Thomas Friedman, Hardt and Negri , Joseph E.Stiglitz and P.sainath. In addition to that It also talks about Globalization and its Discontents  - Work by Noam Chomsky.  

 1. 9/11 Attack :-

  The 9/11 Attack also known as September 11 Attacks. This Particular events investigates that how the Concept of Global war intertwines with Globalization, giving rise to discussion on violence within this Context. This tragedy served as a catalyst for the emergence of the New American Empire and the Subsequent Global war on terror.

 Ania Loomba rightly observed that ; 

    " Since the events of 11 September 2001, the so called global war on terror, and the US invasion of Afghanistan and Iraq, it is harder than ever to see our world as simply Post Colonial. As the new American Empire develops, openly and shrilly advocated by Policy- makers , Politicians, and academics. Within the US and elsewhere, it is more since the events of 11 September 2001, the so called global war on terror and the urgent than ever to think about the questions of dominations and resistance that have been raised by anti Colonial movements and Post Colonial studies worldwide. " 

2. Market Fundamentalism :- 

 Market Fundamentalism Sheds light on the role of global institutions like the world Bank and the IMF in shaping the global economic landscape.  

P.Sainath further explores the destructive impact of Market Fundamentalism. In seminar Paper and Then There was the Market, he makes this Particular Observation : 

 " Market Fundamentalism destroys more human lives than any other simply because it cuts across all national, Cultural, geographic, religious and other boundaries.  It is as much at home in Moscow as in Mumbai or Minnesota. South - africa whose advances in the early 1990s thrilled the world moved swiftly from apartheid to Neoliberalism. It sits as easily in Hindu, Islamic or Christian Societies and it contributes angry, despairing recruits to the armies of all religious  Fundamentalisms. Based on the Premise that the Market is the soultion to all the Problems of the human race, it is too a very religious Fundamentalism.  It has its own Gospel : The Gospel of st. Growth , of st. Choice."

 The impact of Market Fundamentalism on Globalization is a contentious issue, as Some argue that the actual measures taken under Globalization resulted in the Process of imposition and underdevelopment. Moreover, Some critics also claim that new Global Powers apply a theory that , while facilitating global Connections and creating new Opportunities, but it also entrenches divisions.  

3.Empire:- 

Michael Hardt and Antonio Negri are theorists of Globalization , who take the Contemporary world to function in a way that is distinct from its Modern Past. According to them ; 

 " Empire as a Universal Order that accepts no boundaries or limits." 

 It shows that how this emerging empire is fundamentally different from the Imperialism of European dominance and Capitalist expansions in Previous eras. Hardt and Negri open their case in Empire by arguing that nation state based systems of Power are rapidly unraveling under the onslaught of world capitalism. Globalization cannot be understood as a simple Process of de - regulating world markets. The old conformist ideas of empire is that of the existence of a statist world of rulling class and Proletariat of a dominant core and a Subject Periphary.  

 This statist world is breaking down and is being replaced by a less dichotomous and more intricate and Complicated Pattern of inequality. It is generally thought that if the Contemporary world system can be described as anempire, it is because of the overwhelming concentration of financial, diplomatic and military Power in American hands. Michael Hardt and Antonio Negri argued that ; 

 " Globalization is transforming individual nation states into a System of diffuse national and global institutions of Power in other words a new type of Empire which raises the Possiblity for a multitude of peolpe to fight it." 

   The Conclusion that Hardt and Negri draw in Empire , is that Contemporary Globalization,  though it certainty introduces new forms of capitalist command and exploitation, to be welcomed because it is capital 's latest concession to the force of insurgent subjectivity. It contains the seeds of another Globalization , the counter empire of global Communism.

4.Role of Universities:- 

 The notion of the New Imperialism extends its Influence into the relam of educational institutions, Where it raises critical questions about the Preparation of the best and brightest students for Imperial missions. Nilall Ferguson suggest that ; 

 " United States should Consider sending its most talented  students; often hailing from its leading Universities , to fulfill this mission."

 It seems that the Critique of Globalization is not accepted and hence, using the crisis of 9/11 and global war on terror, the Post Colonial studies is also attacked. Ania Loomba Observed that disciplines of history and literature are also not extempt from this Politics of Patriotism and hyper nationalism. "Those who do not teach western history and literature are not exempt from Critique, In an earlier report ACTA ( Anti - Counterfeiting Trade Agreement) had complained not only that Shakespeare was being dropped from required courses but that Shakespeare and Renaissance were being Polluted by a Focus on Social issues such as Poverty and Sexuality. " 

 One of Edward Said's most valuable achievements in Orientalism was not simply to establish the Connections between Scholarship and state - Power in the Colonial Period, but to indicate its afterlife in a Post - Colonial global formation with the US as its Epicenter.  This Article ends with the lines that ; 

  " If Universities are to remain sites of dissent and free intellectual inquiry , if scholarship is not be at the service of American or any other Power, Critiques of Past and ongoing empires are going to be more necessary than ever. 

Reluctant Fundamentalist :- 

  This film is directed by Mira Nair and it is about the Conflict of Market and religious Fundamentalism in the  aftermath of 9/ 11 Attacks.  This movie is adapted from Mohsin Hamid 's novel with the same title.