This is a topic I have wanted to write about for a long time. After studying, pondering and discussing Colonialism with family and friends I came to realise just how necessary it is to the current state of identity politics and paranoia.
University modules on Colonialism taught me what GCSE History failed to. Having access to writers such as Edward Said and James Baldwin made me understand my heritage and my place in history. Thus I shall start off with a quote from a recent book I read to set the tone for what I will be discussing:
The people’s character is deliberately debased, their mind is denationalized and perpetually kept in ignorance and fed with stories of England’s greatness and ‘mission’ in the world…
Inglorious Empire: What the British did to India, Shashi Tharoor, p. 190
This was declared by an Indian nationalist group in London in the year 1915. This summarises the ideological control that Britain sustained over India during the time period. The effect it had on India was paramount. They were less ‘civilised’, less original and overall less worthy than their British superiors. This undermining helped their colonizing mission further as they somehow needed reform. So how can this attitude still relevant today? Colonialism may have been a capitalist exploit but now it remains embedded in the rhetoric we use. It has now manifested into an inferiority complex ingrained in the psyche of ethnic minorities who feel their own heritage is lacking in some capacity. The only way to break this cycle is to teach Colonialism openly and not only in cultured surroundings or tight knit academic circles. If we shed light on the past we can understand the present modern identity crisis.
Until topics such as colonialism are not openly talked about ignorance will prevail and those affected will not see themselves as indiviauls but some forgotten community who will need to reinvent themselves. If we uphold this binary of good and bad then we are perpetuating the same divide that already exists. Instead we need to challenge the premise to spread self knowledge, community bonding and create a dialogue around this.
“Every empire, however, tells itself and the world that it is unlike all other empires, that its mission is not to plunder and control but to educate and liberate.”
Edward Said
The ideological results of colonialism still exist but they are silent and more entrenched in the mind than ever…
Will to life 