Of mimicry and man
A Critical Commentary of Homi Bhabha’s ‘Of Mimicry and Man: The ambivalence of Colonial discourse’
Homi Bhabha explains the weaknesses of colonial discourse by suggesting that the techniques which ‘broadcast the dominance and impenetrability’ (Kumar-Das 1992:362) of the subject causes its weaknesses to arise. Bhabha makes a psychoanalytic analysis based on the work of Jacques Lacan and Frantz Fanon, among several authors. His definition of colonial mimicry takes the form of discussing the issues within colonial discourse whilst reflecting on his own personal views of the matter. In this way, he discloses the contradictions within colonial discourse which show the colonizers ambivalence from his position through the colonized (Mongia 1996:127).
Bhabha’s piece, starts with a quote from Lacan in which the idea of mimicry is identified with military camouflage practice being conveyed as a war strategy. Further on, he quotes Thomas Macaulay (1835) on the education in British India, which exposes the need to form a 'collective' justification for colonial control. This can create a group which mimics the colonizer, facilitating the imposition of power over the rest of the native society and thereby putting the colonial education under the rule of imperial policy. The end result is a creation of a class of mimetic men, which mimic the colonizer without taking care of administrative control as well as a lack of concern economically and territorially. Education is seen as the main tool to arouse the desire of mimicry, causing the need to whiten the frustration of being `black´. Bhabha often refers to mimicry as an instrument of knowledge and colonial power, while a strategy of social inclusion, exclusion and symbolism allows the native to discriminate between who is right and wrong. For this reason, mimicry creates people who are neither native, nor English.
It is a writing-back to the colonizers, responding to previous arguments which have a nationalistic
Homi Bhabha explains the weaknesses of colonial discourse by suggesting that the techniques which ‘broadcast the dominance and impenetrability’ (Kumar-Das 1992:362) of the subject causes its weaknesses to arise. Bhabha makes a psychoanalytic analysis based on the work of Jacques Lacan and Frantz Fanon, among several authors. His definition of colonial mimicry takes the form of discussing the issues within colonial discourse whilst reflecting on his own personal views of the matter. In this way, he discloses the contradictions within colonial discourse which show the colonizers ambivalence from his position through the colonized (Mongia 1996:127).
Bhabha’s piece, starts with a quote from Lacan in which the idea of mimicry is identified with military camouflage practice being conveyed as a war strategy. Further on, he quotes Thomas Macaulay (1835) on the education in British India, which exposes the need to form a 'collective' justification for colonial control. This can create a group which mimics the colonizer, facilitating the imposition of power over the rest of the native society and thereby putting the colonial education under the rule of imperial policy. The end result is a creation of a class of mimetic men, which mimic the colonizer without taking care of administrative control as well as a lack of concern economically and territorially. Education is seen as the main tool to arouse the desire of mimicry, causing the need to whiten the frustration of being `black´. Bhabha often refers to mimicry as an instrument of knowledge and colonial power, while a strategy of social inclusion, exclusion and symbolism allows the native to discriminate between who is right and wrong. For this reason, mimicry creates people who are neither native, nor English.
It is a writing-back to the colonizers, responding to previous arguments which have a nationalistic
References: Achebe, C. (2010) Things Fall Apart. London: Penguin Books Ltd Afzal, F Aidoo, A. A. (2012) Our Sister Killjoy. Ontario: Longman Publishers Behrent, M Kumar-Das, B. (1992) Twentieth Century Literary Criticism. New Delhi: Atlantic Kurmar, D, R Loomba, A. (1989) Gender, race, Renaissance drama. Manchester: Hartnolls Mongia, P Rhys, J. (1997) Wide Sargasso Sea. London: Penguin Books