Cultural Capital, Colonialism, Oppression, Race, and Others

Discursive construction refers to the ways identities related to gender, ethnicity, nationality, race, or any other parameter, are constructed through discourse. Discourse implies relationship and communication, and it can also relate to power differentials. For example, Narayan (1995) refers to the "self serving collaboration between elements of colonial rights discourse and care discourse," especially related to the "white man's burden" type scenarios (p. 133). The colonizer had once framed colonization as doing the Other a favor, by "promoting the welfare of the colonized" out of a belief in presumed superiority. Thus, the discourse creates a superior/inferior binary.

Narayan, U. (1995). Colonialism and its Others. Hypatia 10(2).

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Subjectivity is embedded in postcolonial discourse and identity formation. In Black Skin White Masks, the author shows how black identities are constructed subjectively as opposed to actively because the colonizer projects values and ethics onto the Other. The poetry of Derek Walcott also evokes the nature of subjectivity and black identity. Injustice, such as that experienced under colonial rule, creates systems of oppression that become internalized. The individual believes the negative ideas presented by the colonizer and becomes subjugated. The shaping of identities matters because of the multigenerational impact colonization has upon a people, which is why postcolonial societies sometimes have a difficult time extricating themselves from the subjective identities and constructs of a bygone era.