Colonialism, Translation, and Seduction

Abstract

Chapter 3 considers what precisely it means to say that Bakhīt is a colonial figure. Given that this book places his ideas within the context of a modernity conditioned by the specter of colonialism, this chapter uncovers how colonialism figures in his writings. Examining his contributions to a new genre of literature that attempted to harmonize Islam and modern science, I argue that Bakhīt fits squarely within a colonial discourse premised on what Homi Bhabha has called mimicry. For Bhabha, mimicry does not mean a complete capitulation, but rather is indicative of an ambivalence and partiality characteristic of the native subject whose difference from the European always looms over the encounter. Bakhīt’s writings, then, constitute a partial discourse in which he at once reaffirms the modern scientism of the colonizing power and asserts an independent Arab-Islamic civilization with an illustrious past that is available for reactivation.