Social Modernism And Colonialism - 1364 Words

Present-day classifications of the East and West are still commanded by a colonial past. Postcolonial modernity lingers through its imperialist predecessors’ emphasis on firm distinctions between the rational self, versus the irrational other; these categories of dissimilarity remain between the self and the other; the colonizer and the colonized; and tradition and modernity. Through these groupings, secular hierarchies are able to thrive even after blatant colonization has ended. The dogma formerly imposed by colonizers is continually visible politically, culturally, and socially. On the political sphere the article by Jasbir K. Puar and Amit S. Rai illustrate the Western use of nationalism, which aims to portray a â€Å"terrorist† image of†¦show more content†¦As understood via Edward Said’s writing ‘On Orientalism’, in order to reinforce notions of normalcy in the occident, it is necessary to form the orient as its contrasting image. Puar and Rai’s â€Å"Monster, Terrorist, Fag,† examines the labels created by the modern West that aim to paint a â€Å"monster† persona in their study of Islamic extremism. Accordingly, the article states, â€Å"In these invocations of terrorist-monsters an absolute morality separates good from a ‘shadowy evil’†¦ this discourse marks off a figure †¦as the opposite of all that is just, human, and good† . By drawing comparisons between terrorists to monsters the Western dialogue this reiterates past insinuations of an â€Å"us versus them† approach. ‘Us’, or the occident, as the pure and good normal beings against ‘them’, the orient, as tyrannical and deviant radicals. Further, this strategy orders any type opposition as the enemy, whether it be to the nationalism or heteronormative ideals. In other words, it is an â€Å"if you are not with us, you are against us† outlook. However, an interesting a spect of Puar and Rai’s writing is that the predicament of the self and the other in the case of the United States had turned the concept against citizens within its nation. Postcolonial modernity has created an enemy within oneself; this affliction causes anShow MoreRelatedModern And Contemporary Arts Of Africa2955 Words   |  12 Pagescontinent from colonial rule, a time that occasioned the rise of new pride in and new searches for definitions of identities released from the colonial confines. In the twentieth century the politics of identity became salient in discourses, political, social, and cultural, on Africa. The idea of the diaspora was central to new conceptions on African art, often leading to the exclusion of artist residing in Africa in preference of those living in the nomadic condition. The forefront of Africa in modernityRead MoreModern Architecture in Japan and India1532 Words   |  6 Pagesviews and standards in juxtaposition to defining a modernity in a rchitecture that is reflective of culture. In the case of India the multicultural reflection of a broad social culture and in Japan the reflection of reinventing the post-modern and both nations with particular care to both embrace and reject aspects of colonialism that have shaped their history., The national trends in each nation deserve focus individually as they are two distinct models of development of architecture, albeit strugglingRead MorePolitical Science : Islamic Modernism1166 Words   |  5 Pagesideals, advocating for separation of religion and politics, complete rejection, and calls for armed struggle against Western powers. However, one of the major responses to western modernization and occupation of the Muslim world was Islamic modernism. Islamic modernism was an attempt to reach a medium between adaptation and rejection. Two influential proponents of this idea were Islamic reformers Jamal al-Din and his pupil Muhammad Abduh. They blamed the decline of Muslim societies and their occupationRead MoreEssay on Genocide and Reification3132 Words   |  13 Pagesthe external reification of others. This then, when put into certain contexts, can manifest itself in a projection of hate through genocide. Although reification is the process which explains genocide, other social movements, such as extreme nativism in the Rwandan genocide and extreme modernism in the Holocaust, help perpetuate widespread genocide. Internal reification of the Germans was projected into external reification in the form of hate of the Jewish people. Reification is a thought processRead MoreThe Theoretical Approach Towards Nationalism Essay1409 Words   |  6 PagesIntroduction Nationalism has been a very important issue tackled in the modern era. At first, it was seen from a positive standpoint, especially at a time when there was a struggle against colonialism. Apparently, every struggle for national independence had nationalist aspirations among the people as prerequisites. The theoretical approach towards nationalism, however, are varied. The variety is primarily the reason why there are such kinds of nationalism that lead into ethnic wars, ethnocentrismRead MoreAnalysis Of Wallace Nuttings Invention Of Old America875 Words   |  4 PagesNutting’s Invention of Old America, Thomas Denenberg uses Nutting’s brand of colonial idealism as a parallel with an American society on the precipice of social change at the turn of the century. He successfully provided the middle class an escape from the adversity of the â€Å"machine age†. Using Wallace Nutting as a tool to discuss anti-modernism, Denenberg explores the various ways Nutting inc orporated the neo-colonial lifestyle into a mainstream cult following in the early 1900’s. Denenberg’s treatmentRead MoreThe development of the novel in the 20th century1416 Words   |  6 PagesBritish Novel The turn of the century meant the end of the Victorian Era with the Queens death in 1901. The legacy of Darwin, the Victorian loss of Christian Faith, Socialism and the awareness of threat against Englands wealth increased the existing social discomfort. Apart from this, new discoveries such as Einsteins Special theory of Relativity (1905) and Freuds works Interpretation of Dreams (1900) and The Psychopathology of Everyday life (1901) were also important. As concerns Visual Arts, afterRead MoreDisgrace by J.M Coetzee1222 Words   |  5 PagesDisgrace as a novel explores colonialism and its aftermath by approaching various issues and themes, and some major ones are of body politics and the differences in experiences of the ‘post-colonizer’ and ‘post-colonized’. In this paper I will be looking at prospective analogies; the female body being a territory for colonial and post-colonial conquest and also the protagonist Lurie himself being symbolic of the colonia l enterprise whose power exists in residual. Beginning with the issue of bodyRead MoreIslamic Age And Western Influence On The Islamic World1437 Words   |  6 Pageswhich were the four schools of Sunni law. The four schools of Sunni law were the Hanafi School, the Maliki School, the Shafi’i School and the Hanabali School. This developed a â€Å"social class of scholars known as the Ulama.† (Ansary 98). The Ulama controlled everything such as the education system and courts and had incredible social power. While the Ulama dominated everything, they weren’t the only intellectuals of Islam. There were Philosophers. Greek philosophers invented geometry, science andRead MoreGlobalization Means Underaken Entirely805 Words   |  3 Pagespeople, but can be interpreted differently due to various dimensions based on the terms such as time and location. The term globalization has a wide complex and challenging effects that are mainly analyzed with its economic dimension taking cultural, social, political and historical facets as some references (Atkearney, 2007). 2. Historical Background: Globalization is one of the most fashionable concepts of today; in fact it’s not a product of 20th century. Trade is worldwide since the flint grit trade