ENGL 65FM Lecture Notes - Lecture 19: Postcolonialism
04 June 2018
● Final-definitions, plot summary/analysis questions, choosing 5 out of 9 quotes that
are given-identifying what book it comes from, context of it,
Joseph Conrad:
Could not be responsible to be the voice of post-colonialism
● Every colonial subject has a double consciousness-of oneself and how they are
thought of by the outside colonial dominance
● Difficult to move beyond colonialism because it requires an incredible rupture
● Colonial is begun and maintained through systemic violence
● The only way to start the decolonization process-to change things with language-
Black skin, White Masks: which is about the necessity of the people of color to
internalize a kind of white masks which is the only set of values given acceptance by
the colonizing world
● They were expected to be grateful to be civilized-not grateful because it required
them to approve of the idea that they lack value and that their identity was inferior
● At the end of the preface of The Wretched of the Earth: You are making us into
monstrosities:
● Fable of modernity-Heart of Darkness
○ Cannot speak for the Other-Conrad cannot do that because it would be
repeating racist methods
■ Marlow is not saying along the lines of you ought to give the Other a
chance to voice their opinions but can say here is the truth of what
we are doing
● Speaking to an English language audience (target audience)
● Colonialism is not a benevolent mission but rather an act of
violence and injustice
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