Theme of Otherness and Writing Back

The British Empire spanned the Indian subcontinent, Australia, almost half of Africa, parts of North America and the Caribbean Islands during the colonial era and subjugated the people of these lands both physically and psychologically. The colonizers generated a Eurocentric ideology by projecting the Europeans as superior and the self belonging to the centre or Occident, whereas the colonized people (of which they are a part) are shown as inferior and the other belonging to the margin or Orient. The psychological domination that took place during the period of colonization persists even today. However, many postcolonial writers have successfully reshaped and redefined the constructed image of self and other by distorting the stereotypical images of colonized people, their cultures and languages in literature. Thus, they have taken the narratives to another level by giving voice to the other and by presenting their own colonial history and the consequences of colonization to match their own purposes. This thesis intends to look at the discourse of otherness, from colonial representations to postcolonial realities of other people and languages.

Autorentext

Ridwana Kabir Orchi received Endeavour Postgraduate Award 2011-12 to undertake a Combined Master of Arts & Social Sciences in International Relations and Development Studies in the University of New South Wales, Australia. She completed her honours from BRAC University with a major in English Literature and a minor in Sociology in 2009.