Sr. Assistant Professor

Dept. Of English

D.A.V College

  Kanpur, U.P., India 

The term post- colonialism clearly focuses the period after colonization but theoretically, it represents social, political, economic and cultural impact of the period on the country due to colonization. The second half of the twentieth century brought tremendous changes in every field. This century is special due to many ways as it has revealed the stratification of every concept. It has also brought revolutionary changes in the field of art, literature and culture. Globalization, urbanization, and post modernization have influenced the study of the text and the lives of the people all over the world. Contemporary period is also being observed and analyzed from various perspectives. These perspectives have brought revolutionary changes in society. Technology and means of communications have also become the part of literature and culture. It has electrified human life from external to internal. These phenomenal changes have brought into light the social, political and cultural aspects of the individual and the society all over the world. In spite of the progress in the field of art, science and technology the whole world is passing through some elemental problems of the society. Various studies have been done to reveal the facts of cultural and identity crisis; these Studies have gone deep into the human psyche to find out the reasons for any transition.   There are various critics and writers who have explored multidimensional meanings and facts of postmodernism and post colonialism. It took many years to understand the myths and mysteries of the colonial period. The Crisis of Identity has become one of the most prominent issues during the post-colonial period. Different shades, and colors of the term have been explored by many eminent critics like Frantz Fanon, Homi K Bhabha, Edward said, Wole Soyinka.

They have very closely touched, observed, explained and expressed the impacts of the post- colonial period. It has also revealed the psychological impact of identity and cultural crises on an individual. . They have explored the most important fact of colonizers: that they have not only colonized the political and economic status of the country but rather in the form of social and cultural colonization they have colonized the mind and the soul of the human beings. As Nandy writes;

This colonialism in addition two bodies places forces within colonized societies to alter their cultural once and for all. In the process, it helps to generalize the concept of the modern West from a geographical and temporal entity to a psychological category. The best is now everywhere, within the west and outside, in structures and in minds.¹

This fact has been brought out by Nandy through the analytical presentation that colonial encounter leaves a strong imprint on the psyche of colonized country .A country can be free from political and economic freedom but can never get freedom from cultural and social chains chained by the colonizer. People long for the pre-colonial period in their lives.   So unknowingly and unconsciously a colonized country achieves a new status of Neo colonialism. The term Neo colonialism came into existence after 1960.It observes the consequences of colonial period .Thus the status of the country becomes an ongoing changing process from colonialism to post colonialism, and from post colonialism to neocolonialism. It is also a dangerous way to colonize the country. Neo colonialism is a policy through which the former ruler keeps himself not only in touch with political and economic policy but also in social and cultural activities of the country. He indirectly controls the country. Colonialism has expanded its form and area than ever before. It has also explored the fact that complete political, economic, social and cultural freedom is only a Myth.

We are under the impact of globalization and it has given a speed to visible and invisible consequences. These studies have gone deep into the human psyche to find out the reasons for any transition.  Many postcolonial novelists such as V.S Naipaul, Salman Rushdie, Kiran Desai and many more have focused their attention on the issues of the post- colonial period through their novels also. These postcolonial novelists applied the theories of postcolonial theorists through their novels.

The problems of class, gender and race, emerged during and after the colonial period. But it has dominantly raised the problem of the Identity crisis all over the world. Identity is power, essence and an important element of a personality. It is the most important trait of the personality that was demolished by the colonial period and experienced by the post-colonial period. The individual entity as well as the social entity was brought in danger by colonial encounters. The social entity covers the cultural and part of colonized people and the individual entity covers the psychological part of colonized people.

Language and culture are inseparable parts of human life. Language give expression and concrete shape to culture. It is the only medium through which the great literature and cultural wealth and strength of any nation can be analyzed .It is a powerful tool to strengthen the identity. It presents an understanding between the individual and the society. General study reveals the fact that a colonizer becomes successful to colonize the country by imposing his language and culture on the country he wants to colonize. Edward Said's important book 'Orientalism' published in  1978 .It represents the basics of post-colonial theory .It is one of the most prominent books which very clearly presents the western ideology. In this groundbreaking   book he examines that to rule and control any nation it is essential to attack on their culture, language and tradition. He also focuses his attention on knowledge and power to colonize any country .It has been rightly observed by Edward said:

"Intrinsic superior t of the Western literature is indeed full admitted by those members of the committee who support the Oriental plan of education... It is, I believe, no exaggeration to say that all the historical information which has been collected in the Sanskrit language is less valuable than what may be found in the paltry abridgements used at preschools in England.²

This has given birth to hybrid culture. The colonial encounter has created a new world of hybridity. The cultural hybridity demolishes the individual identity where an individual searches his place and space. It has also the fear as the dominant culture swallows the less dominant culture under the impact of cultural hybridity. Many regional languages, paintings and music have lost their control over the people as the chief aim of the colonizer is to attack their culture, language and identity.

The theory of binary opposition works here to understand clearly the relationship between the colonizers and the colonized.  The French structural linguist Ferdinand De Saussure used binary opposition between signifier and signified. In the postcolonial studies it tells about the theory of dominance, colonizer /colonized, white/ black, primitive /civilized. Through these binary oppositions we can understand the theory and mindset of colonizers. (Colonizer) comes first in this as he feels himself superior and able to dominant on the next there is (colonized) as he is inferior. It is a general notion among the people that (white) skin people are good and they are to rule while (black) are there to serve only. On these bases colonized are considered (primitive) and colonizers are considered (civilized). To hide their real desire (colonizer) to rule and exploit them (colonized), they have misguided the people as they are on the mission to civilize the uncivilized people all over the world.

To understand well the real motive of colonizer there is a need to understand the ' Caliban paradigm'. We can understand it through the study of the famous last play of Shakespeare 'The Tempest 'from the post-colonial point of view; it presents the mindset of colonial people. Prospero captures the island to fulfill his own interest but projects himself as a civilized man and forces the Caliban to learn and speak his language and he becomes an alien in his land.

Through this approach the colonizer captured the mind and psyche of the colonized people to rule over them. Apart from this they made the heterogeneous societies within the colonial country with the theory of binary opposition. One society or group is superior to another society or group. The people who easily come under the impression of the policies of the colonizer and condemn the other group of their own country as inferior on the basis of their culture, language and education. Here colonizer gets victory over colonized people. Postcolonial study has also revealed the fact that those who do not accept colonizers ideology very easily are considered firm determined and patriotic people but colonizer does not appreciate him rather blame him for his lack of knowledge. Followers of colonial language and culture are projected as the followers of knowledge and wisdom. It gives birth the theory of mimicry by Homi. K Bhabha .People mimic the alien culture ,language and tradition to show themselves as the followers of knowledge and wisdom without knowing the consequences of all this .Mimicry is one of the most important and common traits in colonial and postcolonial period. The feeling of being superior among all his native people becomes the main reason of all this. By doing so he disrespects the culture and language of his own country and accept the power and Supremacy of colonizers. Thus the process starts with the feeling of superiority and ends with the identity crises.

This process becomes the inevitable part of colonizers personality .Mimicry starts during the colonial period but unfortunately continues even after post-colonial. Gradually, it also becomes a part of the culture and language of colonized countries. After the colonial period people of colonized countries long for the precolonial Utopian state, but they have to be satisfied with their present ambiguous state. The process of regaining condition is impossible because the deep marks on the mind and psyche of human beings cannot be erased.

Hybridity in postcolonial studies means the mixing of eastern and western culture behavior and language.  These practices split the identity of colonizer. Practically hybrid Nation means a type of political, cultural and social mingling of ideologies of the countries, but practically due to power, influence and materialistic greed it does not reach to its aim as one nation tries to suppress the another nation .The area of hybridity enlarges in postcolonial nation as it covers several areas like racial hybridity, literary hybridity, cultural hybridity and religious hybridity. It has also been revealed from the various facts and aspects of postcolonial studies that behind all the aims and objectives of the colonizer there is one desire of the colonizer that channelizes all his motives is the power.

Have so often fallen into the political trap of essentialism imperial discourse.... The result in the positioning of the indigenous people as the ultimately marginalized, accounts Dept. which describes the binarism of centre/ margin, and prevents their engagement with The Subtle process of imperialism. ³

After the colonial period people of the country falls into a transition period with the emergence of a new class. In this transition period they remain totally unaware about the pros and cons of assimilation of different cultures and letter on there are clashes of cultures. Here also we find cultural binary opposition (us / them, I/you). A new class emerges within the country in the postcolonial world who follow the colonial way of living and show their Supremacy on their own natives. To Bridge this gap of cultural and identity crisis. We find a new phase of post nationalism. It is a very broad concept. It does not end the national consciousness rather it labels the national existence and satisfies nationality to   the postcolonial impact.

Post nationalism answers to the questions which were left unanswered during the period of post colonialism. Globalization has given space to all the aspects of post nationalism. New literatures and multi shades of multiculturalism has become possible due to post nationalism. It has not only broken the boundaries of nations, but also has given a space and platform to present the ideas. It has taught the love and respect for the cultures of different countries. In some extent it has filled the wounds given by colonial period. The Global assimilation of cultures and identity has ended the search of colonized nations for their pre-colonial estate. The feeling of nationhood has been satisfied by the international stage. There are many aspects of social, cultural and political aspects of post nationalism. In this postmodern world we are on the stage   where the time is to forget the harsh and tough realities of the colonial period. Under the influence of Technology and Revolutionary advancements in the field of communication and internet people have become very much broad-minded to cope up with the changes.

An introspection on all these facts reveals the truth that post nationalism has drawn a big line and incorporated in itself the National consciousness, culture and identity. Under the effect of globalization there is a reconciliation between the colonizers and the colonized as there is no oppression of one class on the other class. The most important fact has been revealed that humanity, love and respect is above all.  There are limitations of every phase and stage but we all are moving towards a better stage as it cares about the culture, identity and psyche of individuals and nations.

References

1.  Nandy A. 1983 The Intimate Enemy: Loss And Recovery Of Self Under Colonialism, Oxford University Press, Delhi P. 11
2.  Said, E.1983 The World , the text and the critic, Harvard University Press, Cambridge, Massachusetts P.12
3.  Ashcroft, B, Griffths ,G Tiffin, H 1989, The Empire Writes Back: Theory and Practice in Post Colonial Literatures, Routledge, London P.136