On Post-Colonial Futures: Transformations of a Colonial Culture

by Bill Ashcroft

In this groundbreaking work, Bill Ashcroft extends the arguments posed in The Empire Writes Back to investigate the transformative effects of postcolonial resistance and the continuing relevance of colonial struggle. He demonstrates the remarkable capacity for change and adaptation emanating from postcolonial cultures both in everyday life and in the intellectual spheres of literature, history and philosophy. The transformations of postcolonial literary study have not been limited to a simple rewriting of the canon but have also affected the ways in which all literature can be read and have led to a more profound understanding of the network of cultural practices that influence creative writing.

160 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2001

Reviews

[Akshay · Rating 5 out of 5]

In his book, Bill Ashcroft gives us a revolutionary view of the ways in which postcolonial societies have responded to colonial control. This book investigates the transformative effects of postcolonial resistance and its continuing relevance of the colonial struggle. By supporting his arguments such as the production of sugar plantations in the Caribbean islands to using the famous Prospero and Caliban binary from The Tempest, the book shows remarkable capacity for change and adaptation emanating from postcolonial cultures both in daily life and within the intellectual spheres of literature, history and philosophy. The transformations of postcolonial literary studies have just not been confined to a simple rewriting or rereading exercise of the canon but have also affected the ways in which literature can be read and have led to a more profound understanding of the network of cultural practices which deeply influences creative writing. "On Postcolonial Futures", therefore, breaks new theoretical ground while demonstrating the relevance of a wide range of practices by extending the exploration of topics which are fundamentally important to the field of postcolonial studies.