The importance of postcolonialism in world politics
The purpose of present paper is to present a thoroughly researched discussion and present the narrative discourse that states that the theory of Postcolonialism can be the most powerful and most useful theory in order to make sense of the world politics (Wilkens 2017). The present paper aims to undertake a thorough understanding of this notion and establish the reasons why postcolonialism can prove to be immensely helpful while resolving the issues of world politics. The thesis statement of this paper is that Postcolonial theory is the most useful theory as it provides a crucial historical backdrop for the present as well as the future generations of the world to understand the ways in which the history of today’s world was created and deliberately formed.
In the context of world politics, postcolonialism becomes a crucial study as it voices the stories of the nations that were colonized and brutally ruined because of the colonial mindset of the human civilization which, in turn, provides an intricate analysis of how world politics can be framed in a way that can work in accordance with the theory of Postcolonialism (A. J. R. Groom, Andre? Barrinha, and Olson 2019).
Before embarking upon the journey of postcolonialism, it is imperative to understand the three schools of International Relations theories, that is realism, feminism and postcolonialism. The theory of Realism emphasizes on the fact that the conflicts that may arise between the nations of the world throughout human existence are actually entirely inevitable. It also exemplifies the concept that human beings are essentially creatures of habit and they are deemed to repeat the patterns of their past. Thus, this theory asserts repeatedly and makes the world accept the fact that as human beings are driven by power and hunger, the existence of constant states of conflicts is undeniable and hence, rather than living in denial of all the issues that will definitely arise in the world, it is vital that the world leaders as well as the citizens of the world understand the reality of the issues (Lomia 2020).
Secondly, the theory of Feminism is extremely important in International Relations as it challenges the almost absent existence of women in the concepts of world politics. The Feminist concepts challenge the brutal existence of forced masculinity that has been the representative of world politics for the most part of history, it develops frameworks that facilitate the existence of women and creates safe space wherein women can establish their firm identities over the power dynamics of the world (Zalewski and Runyan 2013).
Coming to the theory of Postcolonialism, it can be said that the theory of postcolonialism is a critical method that respects already existing historical differences among former colonies while also facilitating comparative studies of what was and still is a global process of colonial as well as imperial domination (Mielniczuk 2021). The theory of Postcoloniality pays intricate attention to cultural as well as artistic practices that negotiate within the spectrum of colonial histories, neocolonial and globalization contexts. It explores the ways in which colonial ideology, strategies of representation and racial prejudices are deeply coded in the mindset of the present political world.
Understanding the three schools of International Relations theories
This theory has also been able to create several discourses which have helped the political scenario of International Relations by undertaking a distinct understanding of these discourses which in turn, help shape the world politics in a better way, in a way that does not ignore the existence of the priorly colonized nations, a way that is able to respect the past agonies and the multi-generational trauma that the present generations of postcolonial nations suffer from. For instance, through Edward Said’s classic text ‘Orientalism’ the world, learnt that the identities of the east have long been considered as ‘othered’ identities, identities that are constantly disrespected by subtle or, at times, harsh stereotyped notions that see the east through only two lenses, one that typecasts them as the citizens who know nothing but violence, a lens that categorizes the entire east as a swamp of terrorist mob and the second lens is that of categorizing the east as the ‘exotic’ land which dehumanizes the entire land and treats the citizens of post-colonial nations as alien creatures who do not know the social ways of the world (Cronin 2015). Said exclaims that this is a constant process of othering through which the west keeps the entire east under a forced shadow of its massively stereotyped colonial past.
Similarly, Gayatri Chakravorty Spivak’s literary masterpiece, ‘Can the subaltern speak’ demands an answer to the constant and forced silence the subaltern, the marginalized communities of the world (Zembylas 2018). The concept of subaltern, as propounded by Gramsci, puts forward the question of the often disregarded and disrespected marginalized communities of the world. Additionally, Ngugi wa Thiong’o and Dereck Walcott’s works present microcosm of the world wherein they argue that the colonization of the east has not ended and it will not end until there is a massive movement regarding the decolonizing of mind (Wa Thiong’o 2018).
Ashis Nandy also explains this concept in his ‘Preface to the Intimate Enemy’ that the west has colonized the minds of the postcolonial nations (Ashis Nandy 2015). These microcosmic representations of the world have helped massively in making the world leaders understand the importance of implementing a deep understanding of the theory of Postcolonialism. This theory undertakes a deep understanding of how governments, societies and citizens of the previously colonized nations of the world experience international relations. It is also important to understand the meaning of the term ‘post-colonialism’. The term does not only signify the impacts that the colonial rule had on these nations, rather, it majorly signifies the ways in which the colonial histories still impact the ways in which these nations function, be it politically, socially or culturally, is also defines how the west still, consciously or unconsciously makes its decisions regarding the east as per the colonial and imperial mindset.
Postcolonialism, as a tool, allows alternative readings of the already existing and sanitized form of western history, it allows another narrative to exist, a narrative that deals with the side of the victims. There is empirical evidence that states that this theory has been able to redirect the International Relation’ s attention towards the issues that were consciously neglected until now, issues that are concerned with raceethnicity, class, gender and most specifically the critical intersections of empire. The postcolonial approach towards global class relations suggests that the world must understand how these relations were formed in a manner that supported the hierarchal system of social classifications that led to the increase in the concepts of racism as well as the constant ‘othering’ of eastern nation. The existence of these notions has managed to draw a violent rift between the nations of the world, this has managed to develop years of conflicts amid the varying sets of nations.
The theory of Realism
This theory also propounds how these inherent forms of racism that are developed in the citizens of west after living in a constant state of neglect about the east as well as their denial to consciously teach the future generations about the realities of colonial era have led to a massive form of misconception of events, resulting in their utter inability to consider the global poor and ‘othered’ population while undertaking the process of policy making (Rashid and Jocson 2021). This has led to the continuous formation of solutions that focus majorly on intervening to support the seemingly less developed states, rather than taking steps in order to address the issue of global inequality.
Postcolonialism, as a tool of world politics, also helps in the creation of key concepts of power and shifting the dynamics of the western ideologies of power and politics. It challenges the traditional Eurocentric notions and proposes a diverse, complex set of theories that can help the world develop sensitivity towards the othered nations which, in turn, will lead to the educational process of the masses of the world who are unaware of the agonies that surround the postcolonial nations.
Apart from uplifting the postcolonial nations from their miseries, miseries that were inflicted by the west, Postcolonial theory also offers a deep understanding of how the east has managed to flourish on its own in the post-war, postmodern world. It has helped establish a front that rigorously claims that east does not exist only as the west perceives it, in tints of orange, with the horrific rays of sun engulfing its sweat ridden citizens, citizens who travel by foot towards all their journey, citizens who are illiterate and are easily seduced by violence. The theory of postcolonialism aims to establish that the east has the ability to get out of the status of developing nations that is forced on its existence, but the west should also be able to recognize that rather than focusing on constantly othering the east, it should support the eastern nations in their process of decolonizing the multi-generational trauma that they are forced to suffer.
In conclusion, it can be stated that the theory of Postcolonialism is extremely important in the context of International Relations. The findings of the present paper states that the theory of postcolonialism is a tool that can be used in world politics in order to create a world where the colonial mindset as well as the notions of colonialism no longer exist. It also states that the constant othering of the postcolonial nations needs to be put to an end in order to develop concrete and influential policies that will help the International Relations.
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Zalewski, Marysia, and Anne Sisson Runyan. 2013. “Taking Feminist Violence Seriously in Feminist International Relations.” International Feminist Journal of Politics 15 (3): 293–313. https://doi.org/10.1080/14616742.2013.766102.
Zembylas, Michalinos. 2018. “Revisiting Spivak’s ‘Can the Subaltern Speak’ through the Lens of Affect Theory.” Qualitative Research Journal 18 (2): 115–27. https://doi.org/10.1108/qrj-d-17-00048.
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