The Empire Writes Back: Theory and Practice in Post-Colonial Literatures

Front Cover
Routledge, Dec 16, 2003 - Literary Criticism - 296 pages

The experience of colonization and the challenges of a post-colonial world have produced an explosion of new writing in English. This diverse and powerful body of literature has established a specific practice of post-colonial writing in cultures as various as India, Australia, the West Indies and Canada, and has challenged both the traditional canon and dominant ideas of literature and culture.

The Empire Writes Back was the first major theoretical account of a wide range of post-colonial texts and their relation to the larger issues of post-colonial culture, and remains one of the most significant works published in this field. The authors, three leading figures in post-colonial studies, open up debates about the interrelationships of post-colonial literatures, investigate the powerful forces acting on language in the post-colonial text, and show how these texts constitute a radical critique of Eurocentric notions of literature and language.

This book is brilliant not only for its incisive analysis, but for its accessibility for readers new to the field. Now with an additional chapter and an updated bibliography, The Empire Writes Back is essential for contemporary post-colonial studies.

 

Contents

Development of postcolonial literatures
4
Postcoloniality and theory
11
textual strategies in post
37
the liberation of postcolonial
77
indigenous theory
115
postcolonial writing and literary
153
112467
164
11
191
postcolonialism
193
Conclusion More english than English
220
NOTES
238
14
254
INDEX
271
Copyright

Common terms and phrases

abrogation African American appropriation argued assertion assumptions attempt Australian authority become beginning Black canon Caribbean centre century claims colonial communication complex concept concern condition constituted constructed contemporary context continuing course critics cultural demonstrates discourse distinctive dominant early effects emergence English English Studies establish European example exist experience fact force forms function Harris human idea identity imperial important Indian indigenous interpretation issue kind language limited linguistic literary London marginality meaning nature neo-colonial novel objective offers oral particular political position possibility post-colonial literatures post-colonial societies post-colonial text post-colonial theory practice present Press problem production provides question radical reading reality recent relation relationship remains result sense settler signify silence simple situation social societies specific standard strategies stress structure studies subversive suggests theory tion traditional University West writing written

About the author (2003)

Bill Ashcroft teaches at the University of New South Wales, Australia, Gareth Griffiths at the University at Albany, USA and Helen Tiffin at the University of Queensland. All three have published widely in post-colonial studies, and together edited the ground-breaking Post-Colonial Studies Reader (1994) and wrote Key Concepts in Post-Colonial Studies (1998).

Bibliographic information

TitleThe Empire Writes Back: Theory and Practice in Post-Colonial Literatures
New Accents
AuthorsBill Ashcroft, Gareth Griffiths, Helen Tiffin
Edition2, revised
PublisherRoutledge, 2003
ISBN1134465041, 9781134465040
Length296 pages
Subjects › 

Literary Criticism / Caribbean & Latin American
Literary Criticism / General
Literary Criticism / Semiotics & Theory
  
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