Postcolonial Theory is a ground-breaking critical introduction to the burgeoning field of postcolonial studies.
Leela Gandhi is the first to clearly map out this field in terms of its wider philosophical and intellectual context, drawing important connections between postcolonial theory and poststructuralism, postmodernism, marxism and feminism. She assesses the contribution of major theorists such as Edward Said, Gayatri Spivak and Homi Bhabha, and also points to postcolonialism's relationship to earlier thinkers such as Frantz Fanon and Mahatma Gandhi.
The book is distinctive in its concern for the specific historical, material and cultural contexts for postcolonial theory, and in its attempt to sketch out the ethical possibilities for postcolonial theory as a model for living with and 'knowing' cultural differences non-violently.
Postcolonial Theory is a useful starting point for readers new to the field and a provocative account which opens possibilities for debate.
2 Thinking otherwise: a brief intellectual history
3 Postcolonialism and the new humanities
4 Edward Said and his critics
5 Postcolonialism and feminism
6 Imagining community: the question of nationalism
7 One world: the vision of postnationalism
8 Postcolonial literatures
9 Conclusion: the limits of postcolonial theory
Bibliography
Index
Biography
Leela Gandhi lectures in the School of English at La Trobe University, Melbourne. She researches the cultural history of the Indo-British colonial encounter, and has published extensively in this area. She is joint editor of the journal Postcolonial Studies.
