Would you like to see us make more content on postcolonialism? Let us know what you think and don't forget to drop a like and subscribe to support the channel! [corrections follow below] Corrections: 1) I forgot to add "Shakespeare Wallah" (1965) to the list of featured films. That's a shame because it's a lovely and bittersweet little film about troupes of actors performing Shakespeare in India in the 1960s. Very close to my heart. 2) In all honesty, I could have done a better job explaining the colonial gaze. One aspect that I should have emphasized is that the colonial gaze combines its layered perspectives (of the filmmaker, the characters, and the audience) to homogenize and normalize colonial discourses about the Other. In the literature, this is often framed as both an explicit and implicit erasure of indigenous identities and languages.
I think Avatar is a colonialist film disguised as a critique. It exoticizes otherness with a series of visual clichés. And more deeply, its an example of another type of colonization, the colonization of the mind via virtuality, and the experience of reality as a visual phenomenon. It makes USA-style salvation glamourous to the world.
I am teaching a course on Decolonization and Cinema and resources such as this are scarce. Thank you and I look forward to more, especially on the complex history of post-colonial cinema. In our course, we view works by indigenous filmmakers such as Sky Hopinka and Erica Tremblay but also seminal works of the Third Cinema movement and Black Futurism/Afro-Surrealist gems. Sadly, most cinema studies still center the works of Western cinema.
Thanks so much for the kind words. The lack of resources on the subject is frustrating for me as well, which is one of the reasons I started the channel. Your course sounds great, though! Best of luck!! At the moment, the channel is moving into a new phase where we are producing more and more animated historical content on Buddhist cultures (also an outgrowth of my interest in making resources for/about underrepresented post-colonial cultures). But that work overlaps quite well with continuing to produce content on postcolonial filmmaking and I'm definitely planning to continue making videos like this one. When we do, I hope that they're helpful as well!
This is an excellent episode, with so much to discuss. If people are going to be serious about overcoming the tragedies of postcolonialism, neocolonialism, and cultural imperialism, and assert their indigenous identities by decolonizing the mind, they are going to need to jettison a lot of mental baggage. One of the film excerpts used here include Rabbit-Proof Fence (based on the 1996 Australian book Follow the Rabbit-Proof Fence, by Doris Pilkington), and is well worth watching. The Indigenous Peoples of Australia and the Torres Straits suffered greatly under colonialism. With the English establishing a colony in Australia in 1788 under the policy of terra nullius (basically, land empty of people), although the Indigenous Australians pioneered that continent ~50,000 years ago, what followed was land dispossession, genocide, assimilation, culturicide, eugenics, languages that became extinct, and the occurrence of the Stolen Generation (in which the colonizers forcibly removed Indigenous children and mixed race children from their families; these children were, among other things, relocated to missions to be indoctrinated into Christianity and learn the skills of servants for white families). Since many of these Aboriginal and mixed-race Australians became a literal “captive audience” for Christian indoctrination, they either lost or never learned their ancestral religion(s) or other cultural practices. While some native Australians have not lost their identity completely, or have opted for syncretic beliefs to motivate them in their struggle for self-determination, many have parroted English preachers and carry bibles around. Some even became Christian preachers. This was at least one way to get some credibility with the white colonizers in Australia, past and present. This same scenario has played out around the world. So, to even try to assert their Indigenous identity by decolonizing their minds, which would have to include - if decolonizing the mind is going to be legitimate - getting rid of the colonizer’s religion. This does not seem too likely.
Thanks for your very thoughtful comment, Larryparis. I couldn't agree more. And Rabbit Proof Fence is a wonderful film indeed. When I first saw it, I didn't know anything about the film and certainly had no idea that it was based on the personal account narrated in Doris Pilkington's book. The film does an excellent job of conveying that connection at the end, as it fades to the real-life protagonists walking a section of the journey depicted in the film. Very powerful stuff -- particularly if you're familiar with aspects of Australian colonialism. I wish that it were better known!
Hey there! Thanks for posting. I didn't publish very extensively on Postcolonial theory while I was working in academia, I'm afraid. It always informed my work, but I never quite found an angle to explore the subject more broadly in my written work. But now there's UA-cam(!) and I'm hoping to do a bunch of new videos on postcolonial film specifically in the second half of the year.
You justify the word Academic in your name, great job, superb video essay, We Bharatiyas (Indian) are just know starting to understand the depth of what happened to our way of life under colonial past, both British and Islamic
Would you like to see us make more content on postcolonialism? Let us know what you think and don't forget to drop a like and subscribe to support the channel! [corrections follow below]
Corrections:
1) I forgot to add "Shakespeare Wallah" (1965) to the list of featured films. That's a shame because it's a lovely and bittersweet little film about troupes of actors performing Shakespeare in India in the 1960s. Very close to my heart.
2) In all honesty, I could have done a better job explaining the colonial gaze. One aspect that I should have emphasized is that the colonial gaze combines its layered perspectives (of the filmmaker, the characters, and the audience) to homogenize and normalize colonial discourses about the Other. In the literature, this is often framed as both an explicit and implicit erasure of indigenous identities and languages.
Part II is never a bad idea, music to my ears 🎉
Yes, please! This video is a very nice summary. Part II always welcome.
UA-cam blessed me with this suggestion and I couldn't be more grateful ❤
I'm actually working on an ethnography on Postcolonialism in sport, and this video definitely gave me some ideas to touch upon in the book.
That's great news. Thanks, anthro joe! Best of luck with the work.
I think Avatar is a colonialist film disguised as a critique. It exoticizes otherness with a series of visual clichés. And more deeply, its an example of another type of colonization, the colonization of the mind via virtuality, and the experience of reality as a visual phenomenon. It makes USA-style salvation glamourous to the world.
I'd also add Akira Kurosawa's Derzu Uzala, as a great example of post-colonial or anti-colonial film.
I am teaching a course on Decolonization and Cinema and resources such as this are scarce. Thank you and I look forward to more, especially on the complex history of post-colonial cinema. In our course, we view works by indigenous filmmakers such as Sky Hopinka and Erica Tremblay but also seminal works of the Third Cinema movement and Black Futurism/Afro-Surrealist gems. Sadly, most cinema studies still center the works of Western cinema.
Thanks so much for the kind words. The lack of resources on the subject is frustrating for me as well, which is one of the reasons I started the channel. Your course sounds great, though! Best of luck!! At the moment, the channel is moving into a new phase where we are producing more and more animated historical content on Buddhist cultures (also an outgrowth of my interest in making resources for/about underrepresented post-colonial cultures). But that work overlaps quite well with continuing to produce content on postcolonial filmmaking and I'm definitely planning to continue making videos like this one. When we do, I hope that they're helpful as well!
@@ArmchairAcademics Thank you! Looking forward to Buddism-related content. All the best
Also, if you are in NYC there are restored Med Hondo films being shown at the Anthology Film Archives and Film Forum! Amazing works
This is an excellent episode, with so much to discuss.
If people are going to be serious about overcoming the tragedies of postcolonialism, neocolonialism, and cultural imperialism, and assert their indigenous identities by decolonizing the mind, they are going to need to jettison a lot of mental baggage.
One of the film excerpts used here include Rabbit-Proof Fence (based on the 1996 Australian book Follow the Rabbit-Proof Fence, by Doris Pilkington), and is well worth watching. The Indigenous Peoples of Australia and the Torres Straits suffered greatly under colonialism. With the English establishing a colony in Australia in 1788 under the policy of terra nullius (basically, land empty of people), although the Indigenous Australians pioneered that continent ~50,000 years ago, what followed was land dispossession, genocide, assimilation, culturicide, eugenics, languages that became extinct, and the occurrence of the Stolen Generation (in which the colonizers forcibly removed Indigenous children and mixed race children from their families; these children were, among other things, relocated to missions to be indoctrinated into Christianity and learn the skills of servants for white families). Since many of these Aboriginal and mixed-race Australians became a literal “captive audience” for Christian indoctrination, they either lost or never learned their ancestral religion(s) or other cultural practices.
While some native Australians have not lost their identity completely, or have opted for syncretic beliefs to motivate them in their struggle for self-determination, many have parroted English preachers and carry bibles around. Some even became Christian preachers. This was at least one way to get some credibility with the white colonizers in Australia, past and present. This same scenario has played out around the world. So, to even try to assert their Indigenous identity by decolonizing their minds, which would have to include - if decolonizing the mind is going to be legitimate - getting rid of the colonizer’s religion. This does not seem too likely.
Thanks for your very thoughtful comment, Larryparis. I couldn't agree more. And Rabbit Proof Fence is a wonderful film indeed. When I first saw it, I didn't know anything about the film and certainly had no idea that it was based on the personal account narrated in Doris Pilkington's book. The film does an excellent job of conveying that connection at the end, as it fades to the real-life protagonists walking a section of the journey depicted in the film. Very powerful stuff -- particularly if you're familiar with aspects of Australian colonialism. I wish that it were better known!
Hello, have you written an article on this topic? Love your work
Hey there! Thanks for posting. I didn't publish very extensively on Postcolonial theory while I was working in academia, I'm afraid. It always informed my work, but I never quite found an angle to explore the subject more broadly in my written work. But now there's UA-cam(!) and I'm hoping to do a bunch of new videos on postcolonial film specifically in the second half of the year.
You justify the word Academic in your name, great job, superb video essay, We Bharatiyas (Indian) are just know starting to understand the depth of what happened to our way of life under colonial past, both British and Islamic
Thanks so much! It's much appreciated.
More please!
Great video and good selection of films to illustrate the points.
Thanks so much, Leo. Miss you, mate!
Interesting video. Thank you.