Introduction to Postcolonialism: blog tasks

1) Look at the first page. What is colonialism - also known as cultural imperialism? 

The belief was that native people were intellectually inferior, and that white colonisers had a moral right to subjugate the local populace as they were ‘civilising’ them: in other words, trying to make them more like Western European society.

2) Now look at the second page. What is postcolonialism? 

Questioning white patriarchal views with a particular reference to how they relate to race.

3) How does Paul Gilroy suggest postcolonialism influences British culture?

Britain had not quite faced up to its colonial past, and the national psyche had not quite come to terms with no longer being a global superpower. This resulted in the desire to still subjugate those from different races, particularly immigrants.

4) What is 'othering'?

Othering is the phenomenon whereby we identify something as being different from, or alien to our social identity.

5) What examples of 'othering' are provided by the article?

Nigel Farage - Rode to victory in the 2016 referendum by harnessing a sense of discontent in British society and aiming it at immigrants, famously standing in front of a poster with a long line of mostly non-white migrants and the slogan ‘breaking point’.

Love Thy Neighbour - A seventies sitcom about a Black family living next door to a white family with a bigot for a man of the house.

6) What is 'double consciousness'? 

Othering can sometimes manifest in confusion over identity, particularly for people from ethnic minorities living in the Western world. This confusion is referred to as ‘double consciousness’ whereby people struggle to reconcile two nationalities or identities.

7) What are 'racial hierarchies'?

The idea that some races are superior to others.

8) What examples from recent media products challenge the idea of racial hierarchies?

In Brooklyn Nine-Nine’s ‘Moo Moo’ episode from its fourth season, Lt. Terry Jeffords is racially profiled by another cop. 

Some shows choose to largely ignore the character’s ethnicity and its impact on their role, such as Nick Fury’s role as director of SHIELD in the Marvel films, striving for a time when a person’s ethnicity doesn’t make a difference to anyone.