Date: Thu, 11 Feb 1999 22:13:23 -0500 (EST)
From: David Butz <dbmarley-AT-spartan.ac.BrockU.CA>
Subject: Re: Some More



Nilofar,

Thank you very much (honestly!) for your careful and detailed response to
my question. I think you summarised some very important arguments.

I should say, to contextualise my own position, that I am not a
"postcolonial theorist"... at least not in the sense of postcolonial
literature or criticism. I am, rather, a geographer who is trying to
understand the lingering effects (and indeed neo-colonial reconstitution)
of colonial rule, and British high imperialism more generally, on
contemporary adventure tourism (mainly portering) labour relations in
northern Pakistan. And I have found many of the theorists you cite, as
well as Bhabha, Said, Mitchell, etc. extremely helpful in trying to
understand the operation of these effects, and the very complicated
resistances of the porters with whom I am familiar.

I agree with almost everything you said in your message - I think my own
understanding and use of "postcolonialism" is quite similar to yours - and
I certainly agree
with its political thrust. But not as a satisfactory response to my
question about disciplinarity. Your suggestion that we need to establish
limits to the discipline put Foucault - who wasn't a big fan
of multi-culturalism, etc. - into my mind. Disciplines take on their
authority as expert discourses partly through establishing authoritative
rules - by setting limits - on who can say what... on who can use the
discourse authoritatively. Disciplinarity in general is repressive, I
think. And the apparatus of domination called colonialism has been nourished
extensively by disciplinary discourse. While I certainly agree that the
terms "postcolonialism" and "postcoloniality" should be used cautiously, I
am doubtful of exercising that caution in a way that makes their use and
interrogation more disciplinary. That seems to me to be policing a
discourse of resistance... of shutting down agonism.
 
Thanks again for your thoughtful and helpful message. 

David Butz.





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