Response 21: "Godzilla Vs. Post-Colonial"

I really like the fact that “Thomas King (Cheroke) entirely rejects the postcolonial paradigm as applied to Native literatures, because it implies that Native cultures only begin to make sense with the advent of colonialism, as well as in relation to its impact and aftermath. Native cultures existed orally before the arrival of European invader-settlers, and for King there is no intrinsic connection between them and colonial existence” (566). It is very refreshing to see identity from the perspective of a people determined not by a binary hierarchy structure where the minority population is at a disadvantage in comparison to the politically/economically/socially stronger colonizing force. I really like the idea of identity and self-definition that seeks to express itself without comparing it to any other group.

There is another statement that reinforces the idea of identity without a binary/comparing it to any other social structure: “For indigenous peoples around the world…their identities, argues King, are already anchored in their own traditions, one which many native peoples argue have existed since time immemorial” (566).

This new idea of having literature being something that excludes outsiders on purpose is different from Achebe’s point of view, but is still beautiful in its own way. It’s also a reversal on the typical hierarchical schema, where the West/whites are the ones that are excluding groups that are not the norm (women, minorities, African Americans, African Canadians etcetera): “For the non-Native reader, this literature provides a limited and particular access to a Native world, allowing the reader to associate with that world without being encouraged to feel a part of it. It does not pander to non-Native expectations concerning the glamour and/or horror of Native life” (570). This literature also does not attempt to mimic or please and it is again, very refreshing to see a different stance/perspective in terms of determining how one’s literature and social identity is defined.