Edward Said wrote Orientalism in 1978 initiating post
colonialism studies on colleges because he analyzed the arrogant Eurocentric
mentality with which these Western entities colonized non-western areas. I
think it’s weird/disappointing that it took till 1978 to spark that kind of
interest among intellectuals about post colonization. Maybe as a Middle Easterner (outsider by
Western standards), Said was in a better position to observe and criticize the
behavior and motives of the colonizers. Just like it is sometimes hard to
acknowledge our own flaws or prejudices, it is hard for nations to recognize
their possibly flawed ideologies and impact on other countries. It is also hard for me to distinguish whether
proselytizing, lifting the civilization to higher standards, or pursuing economic
self interest was the predominant motive for colonization…(I’m going with
economic pursuits was the first and formost purpose after a little while, with
spreading the “True religion” and lifting up civilizations as a façade.) But which
came first among the 3, which was the biggest driving force, and so on might be
hard to pin point. Kinda like its hard to determine which came first, the
chicken or the egg?
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I think this post has allot of cool points. On the idea of eurocentricity and Europeans' proselytization of Indians, I couldn't help but draw comparisons to many convents in developing countries nowadays. Many religiously affiliated schools, or communities (orphanages, etc.) in developing countries are accused of trying to convert people to their religion over actually giving humanitarian aid, and help. I think that that view is skewed: I believe that the goodwill of convents is legitimate, and perhaps the same idea could be applied to some aspects of colonization or post colonization.
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