Theory of Postcolonialism Review of Related Studies
concepts presented by postcolonial theorists enrich the postcolonial study itself. Several concepts grow under the name postcolonial and these concepts have their
own positions in relation with methodology or social object or political goal. Thus, this work only contains postcolonial theory that is appropriate to analyse the
object of study. In the book of Postcolonial Theory, according to Ashis Nandy quoted by
Leela Gandhi there are two types of colonialism. First, colonialism that focuses on physical conquest of colony, and the second is colonialism that focuses on the
purpose to conquer minds and cultures of the colonised. The era of the first kind of colonialism is over but the second kind is still found in colonised societies
1998: 15. It seems that there is no liberty because the colonised societies still live in the shadow of colonialism. The coloniser never gives up to spread the
colonial values, the customs, and the life styles to the target societies. It is done through active persuasion, for examples: language, music, sciences, technology,
and other possible things. Therefore, postcolonial studies exist. It fights against the hegemony of the coloniser in the attempt to set the basic values of the
colonised 1998: 44. Frantz Fanon in his book of The Wretched of The Earth notes that the
colonialism describes the local society is a society, which lacks of values. It is better for the local society not to have their own values; it is better if their values
never exist in this world. The local is the barbaric, the enemy of values. Colonialism puts the idea into the locals’ minds, which before the colonialism,
they were already dominated by barbarism. The local society is nothing without
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the colonialism. Moreover, the holy duties of colonialism are to civilise, to teach the right values of life and to lead the local to a better stage of mind 1963: 41,
211-213. In addition, Edward Said in his work Orientalism finds out that the Orient at first is the place of romance, and exotic creatures but now its description
is disappeared. The Orient here has functions to define the Europe with its contrasting image, idea, personality, and experience Ashcroft et al, 1995: 87. He
says, ”the relationship between the Occident and Orient is a relationship of power, of domination, of varying degrees of a complex hegemony”Ashcroft et al, 1995:
89. He also points out that Orientalism is about the strategy in positioning Western superiority in the relationship with the Orient Ashcroft et al, 1995: 90.
It means that the relationship between the coloniser and the colonised is not a simple relationship because power, domination and hegemony do play an
important role there. In agreement with the previous theories, Elleke Boehmer in the book of
Colonial and Postcolonial Literature points out that the basis of colonisation is the processes of othering. In that process, the colonisers create images for their
own selfhood and the local people. The images of inferiority, wild, less civilized are labelled to the local, in contrast the images of mastery and control, rationality,
superiority, skilfulness are belongs to the western people. Economic and military powers are not the only ways to promote these Eurocentric views. The colonisers
also bring these views in dealing with culture, religion, politics, science and technology. Not only to make the local understand their views, but the colonisers
also want to make them think about reality in European ways of thinking 2005:
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75-78. The condition of this kind of society directly influences the personality of each person as the member of the society. Since identity becomes an important
matter in this kind of society, each person searches the identity of himself or herself through social and cultural values that exist. Karen Horney in the book of
Psychology a concise introduction believes that social and cultural aspects play important roles in establishing the personality of a person 1992: 264. Erich
Fromm points out that the system and social arrangement of society shape the personality of the members so that the personality of each person is suitable for
the society and it meets the needs of the society itself Teori-Teori Psikodinamik, 1993:295.
In this thesis, the writer investigates the second type of colonialism that focuses on the purpose to dominate the local’s mind and culture. The dominant
qualities of David Lurie can be the way to scrutinise this type of colonialism.