Open AccessNeo-Colonialism, Postcolonialism and the Bane of Neoessentialist Theorising in Current African Literature
Author(s) -
Idom T. Inyabri
Publication year - 2015
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.269
H-Index - 7
ISSN - 2408-5987
DOI - 10.4314/ft.v4i1.2
Subject(s) - postcolonialism (international relations) , colonialism , criticism , argument (complex analysis) , postcolonial literature , independence (probability theory) , politics , critical theory , sociology , premise , gender studies , epistemology , political science , philosophy , law , biochemistry , chemistry , statistics , mathematics
This paper is a response to Joseph Ushie’s argument for Neo-colonialism rather than Postcolonialism as the most appropriate theory for the criticism of what he calls Current African Literature. His proposition is based on the premise that Postcolonialism as a theory runs counter to the neo-colonial situation of Africa since the attainment of flag independence by different African nations. Hence, neo - colonialism answers directly to the socio-political and economic condition of most African countries and should be utilised in the appreciation of most literatures from the continent. In this meta-criticism we proceed by making bare the crux of Ushie’s argument, then identify obvious contradictions in his logic and critically present the merit of Postcolonialism as a cultural theory fit enough for the critical engagement of Current African Literature.Keywords: Neo-colonialism, Postcolonialism, African Literature, Critical Theory, Meta-criticism, Joseph Ushie