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Allan Hobson THE RAJ DenisJudd ECONOMICS Partha Dasgupta THE RENAISSANCE THE END OF THE WORLD Jerry Brotton Bill McGuire RENAISSANCE ART EXISTENTIALISM Thomas Flynn Geraldine Johnson THE FIRST WORLD WAR SARTR E Christina Howells Michael Howard THE SPANISH CIVIL WAR FREEWILL Thomas Pink Helen Graham FUNDAMENTALISM TRAGEDY Adrian Poole Malise Ruthven THE TWENTIETH CENTURY H A B E RMAS Gordon Finlayson Martin Conway For more information visit our web site www.oup.co.uk/vsi Robert J. C. Young POST- COLONIALISM A Very Short Introduction OXJORD UNIVERSITY PRESS OXPORD UNIVERSITY PRESS Great Clarendon Street, Oxford ox2 6DP Oxford University Press is a department of the University of Oxford. It furthers the University's objective of excellence in research, scholarship, and education by publishing worldwide in Oxford New York Auckland Bangkok Buenos Aires Cape Town Chennai Dares Salaam Delhi Hong Kong Istanbul Karachi Kolkata Kuala Lumpur Madrid Melbourne Mexico City Mumbai Nairobi Sao Paulo Shanghai Taipei Tokyo Toronto Oxford is a registered trade mark of Oxford University Press in the UK and in certain other countries Published in the United States by Oxford University Press Inc., New York © Robert J. C. Young 2003 The moral rights of the author have been asserted Database right Oxford University Press (maker) First published as a Very Short Introduction 2003 All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, without the prior permission in writing of Oxford University Press, or as expressly permitted by law, or under terms agreed with the appropriate reprographics rights organizations. Enquiries concerning reproduction outside the scope of the above should be sent to the Rights Department, Oxford University Press, at the address above You must not circulate this book in any other binding or cover and you must impose this same condition on any acquirer British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data Data available Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data Data available ISBN 0-19-280182-1 3579 10 864 Typeset by RefineCatch Ltd, Bungay, Suffolk Printed in Great Britain by TJ International Ltd., Padstow, Cornwall For Yasmine Contents Acknowledgements x list of illustrations xiii Introduction: Montage 1 1 Subaltern knowledge 9 2. History and power, from below and above 26 3 Space and land 45 4 Hybridity 69 5 Postcolonial feminism 93 D Globalization from a postcolonial perspective 121 / Translation 138 References 148 Further reading 157 Index 169 Acknowledgements Many people have helped me with the writing of this book. Some sections from it have been given as papers in various parts of the world, and each audience's response has guided me in invaluable ways. For detailed discussion of individual topics, I would particularly like to thank Sadiq Ahmad, Jeeva and Prathima Anandan, Tanya Datta, Indira Ghose, Lucy Graham, Azzedine Haddour, Diana Hinds, Neil Lazarus, Roger Little, Paul Mylrea, Bernard O'Donoghue, Benita Parry, Ato Quayson, Rob Raeside, Neelam Srivastava, Weimin Tang, Skip Thompson, Megan Vaughan, and Else Vieira. I am also very grateful to the following people who have given me extensive help, often at short notice: Bashir Abu-Manneh offered me the benefit of his knowledge of Middle-Eastern politics and culture, and diligently corrected my Arabic. Elleke Boehmer read the manuscript and talked through many of the issues with me in a productive and positive way. Zia Ghaussy and Matthew Meadows gave me good advice on the journey from Kabul to Jalozai. Sahar Sobhi Abdel Hakim generously helped me over a number of detailed issues relating to women in Egypt and the Middle East more generally. Rita Kothari taught me how to think about translations beyond my own languages. Parvati Nair first introduced me to rai as well as to the issues discussed here with respect to Spanish-Moroccan immigration, and offered constructive responses to much of the material in the book. Rajeswari Sunder Raj an has always kept a severe eye on my writings, with friendship, charm, and humour. Joy Wang read several of the sections and gave me sound advice on the limits of the possible. Homi Bhabha has provided warm counsel throughout on many matters relating (and not relating) to the material here. I would also like to thank Badral Kaler for her generous support and forbearance, and Maryam, Yasmine, and Isaac for just being themselves. List of illustrations 1 New Jalozai refugee 5 Che Guevara, 'Message camp, Peshawar, to the Tricontinental', Pakistan, November 16 April 1967 19 2001: an Uzbek Author's collection family recently arrived 10 6 Marcus Garvey with © Jean-Marc Giboux George O. Marke and Prince Kojo Tovalou- 2 New Jalozai refugee Houenou 27 camp, Peshawar, Photo by James Van Der Zee, Pakistan, November © Donna Mussenden-Van Der Zee 2001: a young Afghan boy flies 7 Fidel Castro returns a kite 12 to Harlem, 1995 30 © Jean-Marc Giboux © Les Stone/Corbis Sygma 3 A Palestinian school girl 8 Baghdad Peace walks in the ruins of a review, 1918 39 refugee camp in Rafah Author's collection in southern Gaza