Postcolonial Theory and American Literary Studies: Contact Zones

Abstract

The paper discusses the expedience and eff ectiveness of applying tenets of Postcolonial Theory for researching history and the current state of American literature. It argues that the United States was added to the domain of Postcolonial Studies as its legitimate object at the turn of the 21st century causing considerable controversy among representatives of both disciplines – Postcolonial, as well as American Studies, since this step required revision and extension of both fi elds. A brief overview is provided of some recent publications on the subject, including, in particular, the two 2000 monographs (Postcolonial America and Postcolonial Theory and the United States: Race, Ethnicity, and Literature), edited, respectively, by Richard King, and Amritjit Singh and Peter Schmidt. The paper explores four zones of inquiry which seem to boast the greatest potential for the most productive encounters between American literary studies and postcolonialism. These include, but are not limited to 1) approaching American literature from postcolonial perspective in terms of its eff orts to assert its national identity; 2) studying American ethnic literatures in postcolonial light proceeding from the notion of “inner colonization”; 3) exploring the consequences of globalizing/migratory processes for US literature as generating hybridity and metissage; 4) and, fi nally, factoring in professional connections many renowned theorists of postcolonialism (such as Homi Bhabha, G. Ch. Spivak, Edward Said, and Edouard Glissant) have established with America. Propositions put forward in the paper are illustrated by referring to three American novels authored by recent migrants to the USA from the African postcolonial states: Teju Cole (Open City, 2001), David Eggers (What Is the What: The Autobiography of Valentino Achak Deng, 2006), and Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie (Americanah, 2014). It is concluded that a set of tools (terms, concepts and reading practices) fi rst devised for Postcolonial Studies may be (and already are) eff ectively used to analyze and interpret texts produced in the USA. Its relevance is enhanced by contemporary neoliberal global developments resulting in the emergence of broader and less visible forms of exploitation, which, in their turn, presuppose, in Simon During’s words, the turn from subalterneity to precarity. Key words: Postcolonial Theory, American Studies, American literature, ethnic literatures, globalization, subalterneity.