Multicultural Issues / Postcolonial Literature

Decolonization: 

• process of disassembling colonial power
• Eurocentric values still prevail over indigenous ones
• Some people wants their native language others want to keep the European language

Migration:

• After World War II people of New Commonwealth started migrating to Great Britain
• In 1948 800 million people in the Commonwealth began British citizens
• The immigrants looked for employment opportunities 
• They sent money home and after some time their family would join them
• The black immigrants created racism problems, people wasn’t ready to accept immigrants
• Even today the multicultural model is being questioned as being too tolerant

Place/Displacement

• Metropolis are the symbol of post colonialism
• They are a melting pot of languages, identities, religions and races
• Today in London the new generation of immigrants have to face the sense of place being British and the sense of displacement  of being coloured

Multicultural Britain

• Britain is a multicultural country due to: post-war migration, globalisation, long-term decline as “world power”, Britain’s role in and out of Europe, devolution, end of empire, rapid advance of social pluralism

Postcolonial Literature

• Literature produced by writers of the former British colonies
• It deals with issues like identity, hybridity and historical truth
• Characters search for identity and historical roots
• Innovative postmodern narrative style

Otherness

• English literature of the Empire is dead 
• Immigration has created communities of people who tries to keep their own traditions but coping with British cultural custom
• They represent the alternative voice
• Also writers of colonized states are the alternative voice, writing in English to show their leaving conditions

The others next door

• Black authors who live in Britain are deeply influenced by British culture but have a strong relation with their roots 
• They analyse integration
• Ironical register

Post-Colonial Issues

• Identity
• Culture and tradition
• Belief and religion
• Language
• Location or sense of displacement

The Empire writes back

• Mostly everyone has been influenced by colonialism 
• Literature shows the new perception
• At the beginning British language was used to reinforce Britain’s power, now is used and modified by societies that was under British control
• These writers are so good on writing that beat coloners with their own language
• The formers modified language adding words and syntax elements