Hello Readers!
This thinking activity has been assigned by Dr. Dilip Barad Sir. In this blog, we will discuss and critically engage with five articles that explore various dimensions of postcolonial studies in the context of globalization, literature, cinema, environmental concerns, and historical representation. We will examine how postcolonial identities are reshaped by global capitalism, how contemporary fiction critiques globalization, how environmental and ecological issues intersect with postcolonial perspectives, how Hollywood projects U.S. hegemony, and how films like RRR reimagine tribal resistance. Through these readings, we aim to understand the complexities of identity, resistance, and representation in postcolonial societies today.
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◼️ Article : 1
Based on the article, analyze how globalization reshapes postcolonial identities. How does global capitalism influence the cultural and economic dimensions of postcolonial societies? Can you relate this discussion to films or literature that depict the challenges of postcolonial identities in a globalized world?
1. How Globalization Reshapes Postcolonial Identities
The article argues that in the wake of globalization, identities are no longer fixed within the binary of colonizer vs. colonized. Instead, they are increasingly:
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Fluid & Hybrid: Globalization blurs borders. People, languages, and cultures mix, leading to hybrid identities (Homi Bhabha’s "Third Space").
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Transnational: Migrants, diasporas, and global media create identities that are not limited to national borders but span continents.
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Negotiated through Power: Even though globalization promotes mobility and connection, it often disguises unequal power relations. Western cultural products still dominate, while local traditions struggle for space.
👉 In short, globalization reshapes postcolonial identities by both empowering them with visibility and threatening them with homogenization.
2. Global Capitalism’s Influence on Postcolonial Societies
The article highlights critiques by Stiglitz, Sainath, and Chomsky, who expose how capitalism reshapes postcolonial nations:
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Economic Dimensions
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Global capitalism often keeps postcolonial nations dependent on multinational corporations and Western markets.
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Market fundamentalism (IMF, World Bank policies) enforces austerity, privatization, and inequality—echoing colonial exploitation.
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This creates a “neo-colonial” situation: economic freedom is promised, but dependency deepens.
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Cultural Dimensions
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Global brands, Hollywood, and Western media dominate cultural expression, pushing consumerist ideals.
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Indigenous practices, languages, and art risk being commodified or marginalized.
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Identities become “market identities”—valued more for global consumption (e.g., yoga, Bollywood) than authentic local expression.
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👉 Thus, globalization and capitalism often reproduce colonial patterns under a new guise—economic and cultural subordination hidden beneath “progress.”
3. Literature & Films Depicting Postcolonial Identities in Globalization
Here are examples that connect the article’s arguments with cultural texts:
a) Literature
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Arundhati Roy, The God of Small Things (1997)Shows how global capitalism reshapes Kerala—tourism, economic changes, and caste oppression intersect with globalization, altering local lives.
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Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, Americanah (2013)Examines Nigerian identity in the global diaspora—migration, race, and global consumerism shape postcolonial subjects abroad.
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- Salman Rushdie, The Satanic Verses (1988)Explores migrant identities in Britain, hybridity, and cultural clashes—an example of “in-betweenness” intensified by globalization.
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b) Films
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Slumdog Millionaire (2008)Shows India as a globalized space: call centers, global media (Who Wants to Be a Millionaire), and the stark inequality between the global image of India and lived realities of the poor.
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The Namesake (2006, dir. Mira Nair, based on Jhumpa Lahiri’s novel)Explores Indian-American diasporic identity in a globalized world—how cultural belonging shifts across borders.
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Black Panther (2018)Although Afrofuturist, it directly engages with postcolonial globalization—Wakanda resists global capitalism to preserve autonomy, raising questions about whether participation in globalization erodes cultural sovereignty.
4. Linking Back to the Article
The article suggests that postcolonial studies must adapt:
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Instead of thinking only in colonial binaries, we must study how globalization produces new forms of domination and resistance.
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Literature and films reflect this by depicting diasporas, hybridity, cultural commodification, and inequality as ongoing struggles in postcolonial societies under global capitalism.
1. Fiction as Postcolonial Critique of Globalization
Aravind Adiga’s The White Tiger
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Adiga navigates the fractured identities born of escalating globalization in India. The novel’s protagonist, Balram Halwai, leverages the Americanized suburban setting of Gurgaon—a symbol of global capitalism—to climb the social ladder. Yet, this ascent manifests through moral ambiguity, violence, and mimicry of “modern” norms. In doing so, the text critiques how global corporate cultures become tools of identity transformation and exploitation.
Mohsin Hamid’s Exit West
Although not directly cited in Barad’s article, Exit West compellingly critiques globalization through speculative realism. Its characters traverse geopolitical crises via magical doors—literalizing the porous, often arbitrary borders of our globalized era. The novel casts migration not merely as movement, but as a transitional identity limbo, questioning belonging and cultural continuity across worlds.
Salman Rushdie’s Multilayered Hybridity
Rushdie’s corpus—Midnight’s Children, The Satanic Verses, The Ground Beneath Her Feet—embodies postcolonial hybridity in religious, cultural, and ideological domains. These characters grapple with fragmented selves shaped by colonial legacy and global cultural syncretism. They reveal identity as a negotiated tapestry rather than a fixed essence.
The God of Small Things & Other Indian Voices
Arundhati Roy (in The God of Small Things) and others like Manju Kapur and Anurag Mathur explore how globalization induces emotional alienation, diasporic tension, and reconfigured gender norms. Their narratives expose cultural fragmentation, with characters navigating tradition and modernity under economic upheaval.
2. Theoretical Underpinnings: Hybridity, Mimicry, Resistance
Hybridity as Tension and Creativity
Homi Bhabha’s concept of the “Third Space” provides a lens to understand how characters embody hybrid identities—both unsettling and enabling resistance. This emerges vividly in The White Tiger, where Balram’s adaptation to Western-inflected norms both sustains and fractures his postcolonial identity. Similarly, Achebe’s Things Fall Apart reflects hybridity as both crisis and strategic adaptation amid colonial breakdown.
Resistance through Narrative
Postcolonial fiction consistently undermines dominant narratives in globalization. Achebe dismantles colonial misrepresentations; Rushdie’s multiplicities defy neat categorizations; Roy, Mathur, and Kapur depict everyday acts of defiance against economic and cultural marginalization. These narratives rehearse resistance not as grand gestures, but as everyday reassertions of identity.
3. Postcolonial Film Example: Guelwaar (Ousmane Sembène, 1996)
Set in Senegal, Guelwaar explores linguistic ambiguity, religious division, and economic upheaval. The narrative—centered around a mistaken identity following a death—highlights how postcolonial identities remain entangled in colonial and modern contradictions. The film uses paradox to challenge monolithic cultural claims and reveals hybridity as both social fragmentation and potential solidarity.
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Other cinematic explorations like The World by Jia Zhangke examine globalization’s emotional dislocation in China, using the theme-park setting as allegory for enacted global dreams collapsing into personal and social dislocation.
4. Summary Table
| Theme | How It’s Represented in Fiction |
|---|---|
| Hybridity | Characters embody cultural dualities (White Tiger, Achebe); new hybrids form across tradition-modern divides. |
| Identity Crisis | Migration, consumerism, economic changes cause fractured selfhood (Exit West, Rushdie’s works). |
| Resistance | Acts of narrative reclamation—satire, subversion, reclaiming voice against global dominance. |
| Imaginative Allegory | Magical realism and misrecognized identities expose globalization’s absurdities and affect on identity (Exit West, Guelwaar). |
Final Reflection
Contemporary postcolonial fiction (and some cinema) critiques globalization by revealing how global capitalism reshapes identities—making them fluid yet precarious. Authors and filmmakers from postcolonial contexts deploy hybridity not as harmonious fusion, but as a site of tension, resistance, and redefinition. These art forms give voice to the delicate negotiation of belonging amid a world shaped by historical upheaval and global interconnectivity.
Postcolonial Studies and the Anthropocene
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Expanding the Postcolonial Scope: Barad sir—and scholars like Gayatri Spivak and Dipesh Chakrabarty—urge postcolonial studies to evolve beyond political-cultural critique into environmental realms, recognizing climate change as deeply entangled with colonial history and global capitalism .
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Colonial Ecological Ruin: Environmental activist Vandana Shiva connects colonialism to the destruction of ecological diversity—arguing that colonial powers disrupted sustainable, often matriarchal agro-ecologies, dismantling local knowledge and stewardship systems .
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Spatial Amnesia: Rob Nixon’s concept highlights how Western environmental narratives often erase or ignore colonized landscapes and histories, effectively sidelining the environmental experiences of formerly colonized peoples .
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Internal Colonialism & Dispossession: Even post-independence, many communities face environmental degradation due to continued exploitation—such as displacement from dam projects (e.g., the Narmada movement), representing a continuation of colonial extractive dynamics .
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Capitalism’s Role: draws from Marx’s “primitive accumulation” and Rosa Luxemburg’s analysis to show how neoliberal development perpetuates dispossession, framing environmental injustice as a continuation of capitalist plunder .
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Species Thinking & New Universalism: Chakrabarty’s call for a universalism grounded in "species thinking" asks postcolonial scholars to move beyond human-centric views and integrate ecological histories into critiques of colonialism and capitalism .
Environmental Injustice & Colonial Legacies
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Unequal Impact: Colonized and formerly colonized regions—often in the Global South—contribute minimally to greenhouse gas emissions but suffer profoundly from rising sea levels, extreme weather, and resource scarcity. This inequity echoes colonial patterns of extraction and exposure.
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Dispossession and Resistance: Indigenous and rural communities are frequently displaced by projects aimed at modernization or resource extraction—mirroring colonial dispossessions and yet again bearing the environmental fallout (e.g., Medha Patkar’s activism in the Narmada Valley).
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Erasure of Environmental Histories: By ignoring indigenous ecological wisdom and relegating non-Western environmental experiences, dominant narratives perpetuate “spatial amnesia” and marginalize those most affected
Film Reflection: Wade (India, 2020)
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An incisive animated short film, Wade offers a haunting speculative vision of future Kolkata ravaged by sea-level rise:
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Plot Overview: Climate refugees navigate a drowned cityscape, while displaced wildlife from the Sundarbans (notably tigers) emerge into human spaces to survive
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Postcolonial Resonance: Kolkata—once a colonial urban hub—is now submerged due to climate impacts rooted in global emissions, symbolizing the irreversible legacies of colonial extraction that disproportionately hit formerly colonized societies.
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Ecological Dislocation: The hunger-driven, chaotic interaction between humans and tigers underscores how ecological collapse disrupts longstanding human-animal relationships and flattens historical coexistence—that is, "dispossession" writ environmental.
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Cultural and Environmental Collapse: The film metaphorically portrays how neoliberal, colonial-era development models fail under climate stress, forcing both humans and wildlife into survivalist mode.
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Inspirations Rooted in Resistance: Wade was inspired by Amitav Ghosh’s The Great Derangement and David Wallace-Wells’s The Uninhabitable Earth—both highlighting climate denial and ecological crisis grounded in postcolonial contexts .
Summary Table
| Aspect | Insight from Postcolonial Studies | Embodied in Wade |
|---|---|---|
| Colonial ecological legacy | Colonialism dismantled sustainable local ecologies (Shiva) | Kolkata submerged—symbolizing historic extraction and vulnerability |
| Spatial amnesia | Western narratives erase colonized landscapes and experiences | Sundarbans and flood impact starkly foregrounded, confronting current denial |
| Internal colonialism | Postcolonial nations still face dispossession and environmental plunder | Citizens displaced, animals invading—shared trauma from ecological crisis |
| Species thinking | Calls for decentering human perspective in environmental critique | Humans and tigers both victims of ecological breakdown |
| Global capitalism’s role | Neoliberal development exacerbates dispossession | Drowned cityscape a result of unchecked modernity and climate change |
Final Thoughts
By bridging postcolonial critique with environmental justice, Barad and others expand the field’s urgency—from cultural decolonization to ecological survival. Formerly colonized societies are not just historical victims—they are frontline communities confronting ecological collapse rooted in colonial-capitalist systems.
Wade poignantly visualizes this reality: in a drowned Kolkata, human and animal survival blur, forcing us to reckon with how past injustices continue to shape climate vulnerabilities.
👉🏻 Hollywood has long served as a powerful tool for shaping global perceptions of U.S. hegemony, often portraying American dominance as a natural and benevolent force. This cinematic representation aligns with the concept of "soft power," where cultural narratives subtly influence international attitudes and reinforce geopolitical ideologies.
🎬 Hollywood's Projection of American Dominance
Rambo: First Blood Part II (1985)
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In this film, John Rambo is sent to Vietnam to rescue American prisoners of war, portraying the U.S. as a righteous force combating communism. The narrative frames Vietnam as a backdrop for American heroism, sidelining the historical context of U.S. involvement in the region. This aligns with the notion of "tranquilizing American mythologies," where films present idealized versions of American actions, omitting complexities and consequences.
James Bond Series
The James Bond franchise often depicts the British secret service, MI6, as a force for global stability, reflecting post-imperial anxieties and Britain's role in a changing world order. Films like From Russia with Love (1963) and The World is Not Enough (1999) illustrate Britain's attempts to maintain influence in the post-Cold War era, subtly reinforcing the idea of a benevolent hegemon.
Other Films and TV Series
Other Hollywood productions, such as Top Gun (1986) and 24 (2001–2010), further perpetuate the image of American military and intelligence agencies as forces for good, often depicting them as the primary actors in global conflict resolution. These narratives contribute to the construction of a "structure of feeling of empire," where imperial sensibilities are dramatized and displayed across various landscapes.
Postcolonial Critiques
From a postcolonial perspective, these films often engage in "spatial amnesia," erasing or marginalizing the histories and perspectives of colonized peoples. By focusing on American heroism and overlooking the complexities of global power dynamics, they perpetuate a one-sided narrative that aligns with U.S. geopolitical interests. This approach reflects a form of cultural imperialism, where Hollywood's global reach serves to reinforce American dominance and suppress alternative viewpoints.
Counter-Narratives
Films like Black Panther (2018) offer alternative perspectives by portraying a fictional African nation, Wakanda, that has never been colonized and possesses advanced technology. The film explores themes of isolationism, global responsibility, and the impacts of colonialism, providing a critique of Western interventionism and highlighting the complexities of African identity in a globalized world.
Conclusion :
Hollywood's portrayal of American hegemony often simplifies complex geopolitical realities, presenting the U.S. as a benevolent force. Postcolonial critiques reveal how these narratives can marginalize colonized histories and perspectives, reinforcing a one-sided view of global power dynamics. Counter-narratives, such as those presented in Black Panther, challenge these dominant portrayals and offer more nuanced understandings of global relations.
👉🏻 S.S. Rajamouli's RRR (2022) has garnered global acclaim for its dynamic storytelling and visual grandeur. However, beneath its cinematic spectacle lies a complex interplay of historical representation and cultural appropriation, particularly concerning the portrayal of tribal resistance.
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Reimagining Tribal Resistance
RRR centers on two real-life revolutionary figures: Alluri Sitarama Raju and Komaram Bheem. The film reimagines their resistance against British colonial forces, blending their distinct struggles into a unified narrative. While this artistic liberty enhances the film's dramatic appeal, it risks oversimplifying the nuanced and localized nature of their actual resistance movements.
Dilip Barad's analysis highlights that the film's portrayal shifts the focus from the specific issues of land, water, and forest rights—central to Raju's and Bheem's struggles—to a broader nationalist agenda. This approach, while fostering a sense of unity, may dilute the historical significance of their resistance and overlook contemporary challenges faced by indigenous communities.
Cultural Appropriation and Historical Oversight
The film's depiction of Bheem, a Gond tribal leader, involves elements that some critics argue misrepresent his cultural identity. For instance, portraying him in a Muslim disguise to evade British authorities, while historically plausible, has sparked debates about the authenticity and sensitivity of such representations. Critics suggest that these portrayals may inadvertently perpetuate stereotypes or oversimplify the rich cultural heritage of the Gond community.
Furthermore, RRR's focus on the protagonists' personal heroism may overshadow the collective nature of tribal resistance movements, which were often deeply rooted in community solidarity and cultural practices. By emphasizing individual feats, the film risks presenting a distorted view of indigenous resistance as solely reliant on charismatic leaders rather than communal efforts.
Comparative Analysis: Other Cinematic Representations
Similar themes of resistance and appropriation are evident in other films. For example, The Magnificent Seven (1960) and its remakes depict a group of outsiders defending a Mexican village, a narrative that, while entertaining, has been critiqued for overshadowing the agency of the indigenous and local characters. These films often portray indigenous resistance through the lens of external heroes, potentially diminishing the authentic voices of the communities they aim to represent.
Implications for Postcolonial Struggles
While RRR succeeds in bringing indigenous resistance to a global audience, its approach raises important questions about representation and historical fidelity. By reimagining tribal leaders within a nationalist framework, the film may contribute to a narrative that aligns indigenous struggles with broader nationalistic goals, potentially sidelining specific issues pertinent to indigenous communities.
Such narratives can both empower and undermine postcolonial struggles. On one hand, they can raise awareness and foster solidarity; on the other, they may oversimplify complex histories and perpetuate dominant cultural narratives. Therefore, it's crucial for audiences and creators alike to engage critically with such portrayals, ensuring that indigenous voices and histories are represented authentically and respectfully.
Adiga, Aravind. The White Tiger. India: HarperCollins Publishers India, 2008.
Curtis, & Abi. (2025, September 5). The God of Small Things | Novel, Summary, Arundhati Roy, & Facts. Encyclopedia Britannica. Retrieved September 8, 2025, from https://www.britannica.com/topic/The-God-of-Small-Things
Gupta, Suman. Globalization and Literature. Germany: Polity Press, 2013.
Gupta, A., & Sharma, A. (2006). Globalization and postcolonial states. Current Anthropology, 47(2), 277–307. https://doi.org/10.1086/499549
Loomba, A. (2015). Colonialism / Postcolonialism: New Critical Idiom (3nd ed.). New York Routledge.
Roy, Arundhati. The Ministry of Utmost Happiness. United States: Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group, 2018.
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