Bobbi Burrows

HIST 289

7/7/2012

Postcolonialism: A Refutable Ideology

Postcolonialism is the study, interpretation, and analysis of the impacts of imperialism on the

world. Some historians in the field believe that the effects of imperialism ceased after decolonization;

even the name suggests that as soon as decolonization occurred, the effects became part of the past.

Many historians disagree with this particular ideology and have refuted it using historical

methodologies, and with good reason. The effects from colonization never went away, although they

might have been as prevalent as during colonization. Invading countries subjected millions of people

worldwide to rule by outsiders, people who had no knowledge of the inner cultural workings of whether

it was by being militarily conquered, or by colonization followed by a policy of salutary neglect. Both of

the postcolonial ideologies can be supported and refuted by means of using the methodologies

discussed in The Houses of History: A Critical Reader in Twentieth Century History and Theory” by Anna

Green and Kathleen Troup. (1)

One of the methodologies that are very useful in both supporting and refuting the postcolonial

perspective is historical sociology. Historical sociology questions how and why social structures and

process occur, it examines change over time in regards to social processes, it examines how events and

people come together to influence the larger picture, and it details the features of the various social

structure and processes of change. (2) Some historians have painted the picture that the postcolonial

(1) Green, Anna and Kathleen Troup, The Houses of History: A Critical Reader in Twentieth-Century History and Theory (New York, NY: New York University Press, 1999) 277-280(2) Green, Anna and Kathleen Troup, The Houses of History: A Critical Reader in Twentieth-Century History and Theory (New York, NY: New York University Press, 1999) 110

period is one in which that colonized and conquered are given their lands back, and their culture ceases

to be affected by the conquerors. By using historical sociology, it is clear that even though the

colonizing nations have withdrawn physically from the colony, the effect on the social process remains,

with the previously colonized nation requiring economic, political, or military supports. Further, by

using an analysis of change over time, we can see exactly how much or little impact colonization had on

a colonized nation. (3)

The issue of who should interpret and write about colonial history is a large issue in postcolonial

history. Most of the time, it is the colonizing elite that write the history of the nation they conquered,

which is certainly a biased, inaccurate record. The elite often see history only from the position of the

privileged; the impact of colonization on the colonized is not accurately described, as the elite can’t

understand the indigenous, subaltern way of life. In Kame’eleihiwa’s book, Native Land and Foreign

Desires, this question is raised and discussed at length. Kame’eleihiwa felt that the indigenous,

colonized peoples should write the history, as they would know best the impacts it had on their lives.

Other historians feel differently. Some felt that it may be better that an outsider to the whole situation

write an unbiased account of the impact of colonization. (4) An outsider can apply the principles from

historical sociology to describe the effects of colonization possibly much better than can someone that

has had an in-the-box, limited view of the situation. They can study and analyze class structures and

processes, chains of events, causes, and effects, from a neutral, unbiased point of view, to paint a larger,

more accurate picture of life during and after colonization.

(3) Green, Anna and Kathleen Troup, The Houses of History: A Critical Reader in Twentieth-Century History and Theory (New York, NY: New York University Press, 1999)277-280(4) Green, Anna and Kathleen Troup, The Houses of History: A Critical Reader in Twentieth-Century History and Theory (New York, NY: New York University Press, 1999)277-280

One of the main problems with an outsider using primary sources from the colonization and

decolonization periods to describe the lingering effects of colonization is that indigenous peoples were

typically less literate than the colonizers. They simply used oral history to pass on their traditions and

stories. Written accounts were much more prevalent from the privileged elite. As this gives historians a

primarily one-sided account to interpret, using just primary sources to write the history of the

colonization period becomes ineffective. (5) Now, the historian needs to use other methods to

accurately tell the story of the indigenous and the elite, as well as the effects upon both, in a

postcolonial society. Quantitative history can help to fill in the gaps left by historical sociology, as they

are closely linked and complimentary.

Quantitative history uses numbers and statistics to interpret events and their impact. For

example, in the case of postcolonialism, quantitative history will give the numbers on population of each

demographic, their incomes, land ownership, literacy levels, criminal statistics, and military statistics.

This can help fill in the blanks on just how wealthy the elite were, how much aid they provided to the

colonized people, whether the colonized peoples’ lives were enhanced by literacy and education, and

whether the elite governed rigidly or loosely. It can help interpret the impacts and effects of

decolonization by providing insight into whether the formerly colonized nation could independently

function, or whether it still relied on the former mother country for support, whether economically,

socially, or militarily. Quantitative history gives an unbiased, numerical account of what happened, and

numbers typically don’t lie. (6)

(5) Green, Anna and Kathleen Troup, The Houses of History: A Critical Reader in Twentieth-Century History and Theory (New York, NY: New York University Press, 1999) 280-282(6) Green, Anna and Kathleen Troup, The Houses of History: A Critical Reader in Twentieth-Century History and Theory (New York, NY: New York University Press, 1999) 141-142

Postcolonialism is a difficult field to interpret accurately and without bias. The same could be

said about any other field in history, and about any other period, as well. The key is to avoid cultural

exclusivity in the interpretation of sources. An accurate presentation of life after imperialism and its

lasting effects on millions of people worldwide is the ultimate goal in postcolonialism. By utilizing the

methodologies of historical sociology combined with the hard numbers of quantitative history, the goal

can be achieved.

Bibliography

Green, Anna, and Kathleen Troup. The Houses of History: A Critical Reader in Twentieth-Century History

and Theory. New York, NY: New York University Press, 1999.