The Blackwell encyclopaedia of political science Book

The book discusses the key issues relating to post-colonial writing, providing a sense of the historical and cultural background which has shaped the subject.
Since post-colonial writers often respond to particular historical events, post- colonial literature is intimately entwined with the contexts in which it is written; indeed, part of the purpose of this book is to provide a sense of the various contexts of post-colonial literature. This is certainly not to argue that writing is a mere by- product of history (the written or performed word is always the primary focus), but to show how different writers are influenced by, respond to and perhaps shape the societies in which they live.

The global nature of post-colonial literature means that the reader needs to be aware of a variety of contexts. Because of the influence of migration and the availability of global travel, writers may not belong to or identify with one geographical region, but cross both regional and cultural boundaries through their writing. Though there are issues, such as the use of the English language, which are common across the globe, much post-colonial writing reflects the concerns of the particular region in which it is written. In addition to this, the British empire was a far from uniform operation, differing greatly in the various regions. For these reasons, Part 1: Approaching post-colonial writing, which offers an overview, is devoted to both ‘Transcultural writing’ and to particular geographical regions: India, Africa and the Caribbean.
Owing to the limitations of space, this book does not cover writing from New Zealand, Australia or Canada. These (along with South Africa) were ‘white dominions’ with greater control over their own internal affairs and foreign policy, and though their writers faced some similar problems to those from Britain’s ‘colonies’, they require a distinctive introduction of their own. The colonies, however, are linked together because of the extent to which they were prevented from managing their own affairs, and by the fact that, until they gained independence, power was in the hands of a white élite responsible to the government in London.
Much of the focus of this book is about how authors from subjugated peoples and races have come to take the English language, taught to them initially by their colonial masters, and have used it for their own literary purposes, transforming it in the process. This book seeks to provide an introduction to why, how and when this occurred.
Pages 8-22.