Postcolonial Literary Criticism

Academic Paper from the year 2022 in the subject English Language and Literature Studies - Literature, grade: 12 (equals an A), Bahir Dar University, language: English, abstract: Literature by and about people from former European colonies, mainly in Africa, Asia, South America, and the Caribbean (about the 1950s-present). This literature strives to broaden the traditional Western canon while also challenging Eurocentric preconceptions about literature, particularly through examinations of otherness, identity, and race. Although post-colonial critique is comparable to cultural studies, it implies a distinct perspective on literature and politics that requires its own study. Post-colonial critics are particularly interested in literature produced by colonial powers as well as writings created by individuals who were/are colonized. Power, economics, politics, religion, and culture are all investigated in connection to colonial hegemony in post-colonial theory (Western colonizers controlling the colonized). Thus, the aim of this paper is to explain the concept of postcolonial literary criticism.