Applying Theory: Postcolonialism and Literature

Description

This book provides a comprehensive introduction to postcolonial theory and its application to literary analysis. Tracing the theory’s origins from anticolonial thinkers like Fanon to Said’s foundational Orientalism, it outlines core concepts, including colonial discourse, identity ambivalence, resistance, and orientalism. The text summarises the contributions of seminal theorists such as Said, Spivak, and Bhabha, explaining their key works like “Can the Subaltern Speak?” It also applies postcolonial perspectives to sample analyses of fiction, drama, and poetry. Overall, the book cogently synthesises postcolonialism’s foundational ideas and demonstrates its versatile application as a lens for interpreting texts emerging from colonial/postcolonial contexts. While outlining debates around Eurocentrism and universalism, the volume highlights postcolonial theory’s enduring relevance in revealing operations of power, reclaiming subjugated voices, and deconstructing cultural legacies of imperialism.