JOSEPH CONRAD: SITUATING IDENTITY IN A POSTCOLONIAL SPACE H. SEWLALL, M.A. (cum laude), B.Ed. (Unisa) Thesis submitted for the degree Philosophiae Doctor in English at North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus PROMOTER: Prof. A. M. de Lange May 2004 Potchefstroom .'(:,",: " 1 --- Josech Conrad at 54 JOSEPH CONRAD: SITUATING IDENTITY IN A POSTCOLONIAL SPACE This thesis is premised on the notion, drawn mainly from a postcolonial perspective (which is subsumed under the poststructuralist as well as the postmodern), that Conrad's early writing reflects his abiding concern with how people construct their identities vis-a-vis the otherlother in contact zones on the periphery of empire far from the reach of social, racial and national identities that sustain them at home. It sets out to explore the problematic of race, culture, gender and identity in a selection of the writer's early works set mainly, but not exclusively, in the East, using the theoretical perspective of postcoloniality as a point of entry, nuanced by the configurations of spatiality which are factored into discourses about the otherlother. Predicated mainly on the theoretical constructs about culture and identity espoused by Homi Bhabha, Edward Said and Stuart Hall, this study proposes the idea of an in- between "third space" for the interrogation of identity in Conrad's work. This postcolonial space, the central contribution of this thesis, frees his writings from the stranglehold of the Manichean paradigm in terms of which alterity or otherness is perceived. Based on the hypothesis that identities are never fixed but constantly in a state of performance, this project underwrites postcoloniality as a viable theoretical mode of intervention in Conrad's early works. The wriier's early oeuvre yields richly to the contingency of our times in the early twenty-first century as issues of race, gender and identity remain contested terrain. This study adopts the position that Conrad stood both inside and outside Victorian cultural and ethical space, developing an ambivalent mode of representation which recuperated and simultaneously subverted the entrenched prejudices of his age. Conceived proleptically, the characters of Conrad's early phase, traditionally .. -111- dismissed as those of an apprentice writer, pose a constant challenge to how we view alterity in our everyday lives. Joseph Conrad identity postcolonial space third space colonial discourse race culture gender 4 CONRAD: POSlSlONERlNG VAN IDENTITEIT IN 'N POSTKOLONIALE RUIMTE Hierdie tesis is gebaseer op die voorveronderstelde idee, ontleen aan 'n postkoloniale perspektief (wat subsimeer is onder die poststrukturalistiese en die postmoderne perspektief), dat Conrad se vroee werk sy volgehoue belangstelling reflekteer in hoe mense hulle identiteit konstrueer met betrekking tot die anderIAnder in kontaksones op die periferie van empire ver buite die bereik van sosiale, rasse- en nasionale identiteite wat hulle op die tuisfront onderhou. Die studie ondersoek die problematiek van ras, kultuur, geslag en identiteit in 'n seleksie van die skrywer se vroee werk wat afspeel in die Ooste, deur gebruik te maak van die teoretiese perspektief van postkolonialiteit as vertrekpunt, genuanseer deur die konfigurasies van ruimtelikheid wat gefaktoriseer word in diskoerse orntrent die anderlAnder. Hierdie studie, wat hoofsaaklik gegrond is op die teoretiese konstrukte rondom kultuur en identiteit soos voorgestaan deur Homi Bhabha, Edward Said en Stuart Hall, stel die idee van 'n tussenin 'derde ruimte" vir interrogasie van identiteit in Conrad se werkvoor. Die postkoloniale ruimte, die hoofbydraevan hierdie verhandeling, maak sy werke 10s uit die wurggreep van die Manicheaanse paradigma in terme waa~analteriteit of andersheid beskou word. Gebaseer op die hipotese dat identiteite nooit gevestig is nie, maar voortdurend in 'n staat van vervulling verkeer, onderskryf hierdie projek postkolonialiteit as 'n gepaste teoretiese wyse van ingryping in Conrad se vroee werke. Die skrywer se vroee oeuvre lewer 'n geil bydrae tot die onsekerhede van ons tyd in die een en twintigste eeu waar kwessies van ras, geslag en identieit steeds omstrede terrein bly. Hierdie studie neem die standpunt in dat Conrad binne sowel as buite die Victoriaanse kulturele en etiese ruimte stelling ingeneem het, -v- wat 'n ambivalente wyse van voorstelling ontwikkel het wat die verskanste vooroordele van sy tydperk aangevuur en ook tegelykertyd omvergewerp het. Prolepties gelees hou die karakters van Conrad se vroee werk, wat tradisioneel afgemaak is as die van 'n aspirant skrywer, 'n voortdurende uitdaging in vir ons beskouing van alteriteit in ons alledaagse lewe. Joseph Conrad identiteit postkoloniale ruimte derde spasie koloniale redevoering ras kulturele geslag This study is the culmination of various influences - both direct and indirect, recent and remote, material and otherwise -which have impacted incrementally on my academic life. To say that this thesis might never have seen the light of day were it not for my promoter, Professor Attie de Lange, would be no exaggeration. It was he who responded immediately to my overture when I expressed an interest in the early writings of Joseph Conrad to a few departments of English studies in 2001. His invitational approach, conjoined with his modest demeanour which belies his stature in the international community of Conrad scholars, was conducive to a congenial working relationship. Subsequently, his graceful interventions and his spontaneous sharing of his resources contributed to the momentum of this study. I would be remiss if I did not acknowledge the role of other academics with whom I interacted, albeit briefly, at some stage. For initiating me to the work of Homi K. Bhabha and the rigours of theory, I am beholden to Professor Rory Ryan of Rand Afrikaans University whom I met in the mid-1990s. On that same occasion, Professor Dirk Klopper, presently at Stellenbosch University, lent me his new copy of Bhabha's The Location of Culture. I am thankful for such a magnanimous gesture extended to a complete stranger. I also recall with fondness the late Professor Leon Hugo of Unisa, who encouraged me to proceed with doctoral studies. No project of this nature can be undertaken without the back-up of a good library. In this regard I am thankful to the staff of the Ferdinand Postma Library for their courteous and efficient service, and especially to Ms Gerda van Rooyen for assisting with database searches, and Ms Cora Bezuidenhout of Interlibrary Loans for tracking down rare publications. I am also grateful to Dawie Malan, the English subject librarian of Unisa, for his friendly assistance at all times. -vii- A word of acknowledgement to the distinguished panel of examiners, both local and overseas, would not be out of place. These are critical readers who play a crucial, if sometimes anonymous and thankless, role. Finally, I am indebted to my ever-supportive family, my wife Saroj and my children, Nivesh and Seshni, forthe unlimited space they have always allowed me during a lifespan in which career interests, combined with part-time studies, often took precedence over domestic felicity. This thesis is dedicated to the memory of my late parents, Mr. and Mrs. Sewlall Gooljar of Durbanwho, despite their humble station in life, impressed upon me the need to pursue an education in the face of adversity. This study was conducted under the auspices of the Research Focus Area of the School of Languages at the Potchefstroom Campus of North-West University, and funded by the National Research Foundation. The views expressed are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy of the NRF. -viii- JPREFACEI 1. Texts Used Except for Lord Jim and Youth and Two Other Stories in the Doubleday Edition, published in 1920 and 1927 respectively, the citations from Conrad's works come from the Dent Collected Edition, London 1946-55. The pagination in the Doubleday series corresponds with that in the Dent Edition. The abbreviations of these texts in the thesis are as follows: AF Almayer's Folly APR A Personal Record LJ Lord Jim: A Tale N Nostromo: A Tale of the Seaboard 01 An Outcast of the Islands SL The Shadow-Line: A Confession TLS 'Twixt Land and Sea: Three Tales ("Freya of the Seven Isles") TR The Rescue: A Romance of the Shallows TS Typhoon & Other Stones ("Falk", "Amy Foster") TU Tales of Unrest ("Karain","An Outpost of Progress") Y Youth and Two Other Stories (Heart of Darkness) 2. Modification to MLA Style Manual While this thesis adheres to the MLA Style Manual by Joseph Gibaldi (Second Edition, 1998) in the main, the following modification must be noted: -ix- Where an author has been cited in the thesis, the date of publication of the text has also been given, for example: (Hampson 1998,3). Where the author's name appears in close proximity to the citation, the name is omitted, for example, (1998, 3). 3. Original Date of Publication In citations, the original date of publication of a text is indicated in square brackets, for example: (Lefebvre 1991[1974], 23). Under Works Cited", the original date of publication is indicated in round brackets:(). 4. otherlOther According to Ashcroft, Griffiths, and Tiffin in Key Concepts in Post-Colonial Studies (1998, 170), the word "other" with the lower case "on refers to the colonized others who are marginalized by imperial discourse. Where the subject desires to exist "in the gaze of the Other", such as in the Freudian and Lacanian notion of the mother or father figure (170), the upper case "0"is used. In this thesis, the term "otherlother" denotes both alterity and the focus of desire . Chapter Page One Introduction: Contextualization, Problem Statement, Aims and Methodology Two Configuring Identities: Savages, Simpletons and Others Three Race and Miscegenation in Alrnayefs Folly A Story of an Eastern River Four Transgressing Boundaries: An Outcast of the 110 Islands Five The Boys' Club - Lord Jim: A Tale and The Rescue: A Romance of the Shallows Six Conclusion: Situating Joseph Conrad in a Postcolonial Space Works Cited INTRODUCTION: CONTEXTUALIZATION, PROBLEM STATEMENT, AIMS AND METHODOLOGY "Lay him [Dain Maroola] there.