IDSA01H3 Lecture Notes - Lecture 3: Settler Colonialism, Edward Said, Neocolonialism
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30 Jul 2016
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Lecture 3 – Colonies, Cartoons and Cecil
Social Constructivism: our knowledge of reality is socially constructed
oNeutrality
oMoney - this exists because we agree that this is a form of paper and coinage provides a mechanism to
exchange goods and services. (If there was not a broad agreement, the currency would not exist)
oMarriage - understood as a union (religious or civil) between a man and a woman. However, it has
evolved to be more inclusive with time (acceptance of gay marriages) - this suggests that social constructions
are not fixed, but that they evolve over time with social knowledge
oIdentity - defined by race, gender, abilities, place, ethnicity, language, ideology, religion etc.
Colonial identities was a central feature of colonialism - a process whereby powers exercised
control over distant territories and populations by establishing settlements
Postcolonial theorists focus on discourses (of colonization) which include texts, speech, and signs (images,
symbols, photos, maps, etc.)
oi.e. they would read text in order to find dominant themes and silences, and they link these themes with
dominant practices
oEdward Said wrote a book called "Orientalism" in which he analyzed the discourses of European authors
and how they depicted cultures and peoples in the East.
Argument: the dominant discourses constructed the "Occident" (west) and the "Orient" (east)
(Background Knowledge for WMB)
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