Postcolonial theory

The aim of this article is detailed explanation and elaboration of the main ideas of postcolonial theory. The introductory part contains the explanation of the theory's fundamental terms. Further on, a historical review of the theory itself, which developed in several stages, is presented. Given the fact that the theory has derived a considerable part of its postulates from the domain of literature and language, attention is paid to this aspect of the theory as well. One of the key products of colonial discourse has been the representation of so-called Others, which is the problem elaborated in the next section. Further attention is given to the question of education and history as the "servants" of colonialism, as well as to the question of nation and nationalism as the basic grounds of resistance. Postcolonial theory, which tries to set the culture and art of the former colonies and the culture of the Western civilization as equal, considers ideas about gender and race, nationality and indigenity, tradition and hybridization as its crucial ingredients. The impact of postmodernism, as well as the main sources of criticism in postcolonial theory, are also considered. In conclusion, it is through the fact that postcolonialism and globalization are mutually interwoven that it can be claimed that contemporary capitalism invariably employs neo-colonialism as its primary mode of operation.