Postcolonial and Feminist Dialogues in a Comparative Study of Indo-English and Lusophone Women Writers
Total Page：16
File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb
Micro-universes and Situated Critical Theory: Postcolonial and Feminist Dialogues in a Comparative Study of Indo-English and Lusophone Women Writers Micro-werelden en Gesitueerde Kritische Theorie: Postkoloniale en Feministische Dialogen in een Vergelijkende Studie van Indo-Engelse en Lusophone Schrijfsters (met een samenvatting in het Nederlands) PROEFSCHRIFT ter verkrijging van de graad van doctor aan de Universiteit Utrecht op gezag van de Rector Magnificus, Prof. dr. W.H. Gispen ingevolge het besluit van het College voor Promoties in het openbaar te verdedigen op donderdag 20 februari 2003 des ochtends te 10.30 uur door Joana Filipa da Silva de Melo Vilela Passos geboren op 29 november 1967 te Santo Tirso, Portugal FACULTEIT DER LETTEREN Promotores: Prof. Dr. Rosi Braidotti (Universiteit Utrecht) Prof. Dr. Paulo de Medeiros (Universiteit Utrecht) ISBN 90-9016660-2 © Joana Passos, Utrecht, Nederland This research was sponsored by FCT - Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia- grant PRAXIS XXI/ BD/ 15781/ 98 Printed by Printpartners Ipskamp, Enschede Cover photography: Credit: Brigitte Burger. Subject: silk red scarf from India, cotton piece of cloth from Mozambique, weaved piece of the typical blankets from Cape Verde. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS..............................................................................................................................III INTRODUCTION............................................................................................................................................... 1 POSTMODERN AFFILIATIONS .............................................................................................................................. 7 PART I............................................................................................................................................................... 13 I.1 POSTCOLONIAL LITERATURES AND FEMINISM.......................................................................... 13 I.1.1 FROM FEMINIST AWARENESS TO FEMINISMS .......................................................................................... 13 I.1.2 FEMINISMS, IDENTITIES AND LITERATURE .............................................................................................. 20 I.1.3 INTERSECTING EPISTEMES ....................................................................................................................... 22 I.2 ON POSTCOLONIAL THEORY............................................................................................................. 29 I.2.1 CHRONOLOGICAL UNDECIDABILITIES AND ELUSIVE GEOGRAPHICAL BORDERS...................................... 35 I.2.2 REVISIONIST PRACTICES IN POSTCOLONIAL CRITIQUE AND LITERATURE ................................................ 36 I.2.3 SELF-ASSERTION AND NATIVISM ............................................................................................................. 39 I.2.4 WE ALL LIVE IN A POSTCOLONIAL AGE, BUT YOU DO NOT DISSEMINATE BEFORE YOU CONSOLIDATE 41 I.2.5 THE FABRICATION OF COLLECTIVE IDENTITIES ....................................................................................... 44 I.2.6 POSTCOLONIAL HYBRIDITY ..................................................................................................................... 45 I.2.7 THE APPROPRIATION OF EUROPEAN LANGUAGES.................................................................................... 47 PART II ............................................................................................................................................................. 51 NAYANTARA SAHGAL................................................................................................................................. 54 II.1 GIN, EVENING PARTIES AND COCKNEY ACCENT ....................................................................................... 54 II.2 FEMINIST PRIORITIES................................................................................................................................. 67 ARUNDHATI ROY.......................................................................................................................................... 75 II.3 ANGLOPHILIA, OMELETTES, CASTE BORDERS AND OTHER SMALL THINGS .............................................. 75 II.4 “NO LOCUSTS STAND I”............................................................................................................................ 90 GITHA HARIHARAN ................................................................................................................................... 100 II.5 HARIHARAN: DECOLONIZING THE MIND ................................................................................................. 100 II.5.1 “EASTWALLAS AND WESTWALLAS”..................................................................................................... 104 II.6 SHAHRZAD AND HER FOLLOWERS: DUNYAZAD AND DILSHAD ................................................................ 111 CONCLUSIONS TO PART II: ..................................................................................................................... 122 PART III.......................................................................................................................................................... 131 III.1.1 THE PLACE OF THE COLONIAL EMPIRE IN THE PORTUGUESE IMAGINATION: MYTH AND NATIONAL IDENTITY ....................................................................................................................................................... 134 III.1.2 CULTURAL WARFARE ......................................................................................................................... 137 III.1.3 POSTCOLONIAL POST-EUPHORIA: SURVIVAL KIT TO NEW TRAVELLERS ............................................ 151 III.2 CAPE VERDE: THE CREATION OF A CREOLE LITERATURE ............................................... 154 ORLANDA AMARÍLIS................................................................................................................................. 159 III.2.1 ATLANTIC SELVES AND SEA TIDES… ................................................................................................. 159 III.2.2 RESPECTABLE LADIES AND ADVENTURE SAILS IN SAILORS’ EYES: .................................................... 167 DINA SALÚSTIO ........................................................................................................................................... 171 III.2.3 VILLAGE FEARS, INNOCENT DREAMS, CITY LIGHTS ........................................................................... 171 III.2.4 GROWING UP IN A CURSED VILLAGE WITH A GUARDIAN ANGEL GONE MAD..................................... 177 III.3 MOZAMBIQUE: LITERARY “GUERRILHEIROS” AND OTHER SURVIVORS OF THE APOCALYPSE ............................................................................................................................................... 180 PAULINA CHIZIANE ................................................................................................................................... 188 III.3.1 THE APOCALYPSE ACCORDING TO CHIZIANE...................................................................................... 188 III.3.2 BRIDE PRICE AND WITCH HUNTING .................................................................................................... 200 CONCLUSIONS TO PART III..................................................................................................................... 204 GENERAL CONCLUSIONS ........................................................................................................................ 209 APPENDIX I ................................................................................................................................................... 215 APPENDIX II.................................................................................................................................................. 219 APPENDIX III ................................................................................................................................................ 223 BIBLIOGRAPHY........................................................................................................................................... 227 SUMMARY ..................................................................................................................................................... 241 SAMENVATTING ......................................................................................................................................... 243 INDEX ............................................................................................................................................................. 247 CURRICULUM VITAE................................................................................................................................. 249 ii Acknowledgements A couple of sentences, no matter how carefully thought and how deeply meant, do sound precious little to thank all the people that shared my life during my Dutch adventure in the last five years. When I finally sat down to write these lines I found myself wishing language were liquid (like Suzanne Vega). Then, everything I want to say would just spill out in visible, obvious blots. As it is, I will have to manage with the contained version of my thankfulness for everything I learned, lived and the opportunities I was given. First, the three involved institutions: