RAISING THE CURTAIN: A STUDY OF THE METATHEORETICAL SYNTHESIS OF MARXISM AND POSTCOLONIALISM

Abstract

This paper examines the theoretical dimensions of Marxism and Postcolonialism through a meta-theoretical synthesis based on the six categories: Power, Language, Identity, Culture, History and Literature. These categories are the topics of discussion in every era. Marxism and Postcolonialism offer a voice against domination and exploitation. Restricting theories like Marxism and Postcolonialism to their emergence era can’t be justified. They comprise of a plethora of concepts that are still relevant today. Colonization has ended; there is a somewhat class consciousness in people, but has domination truly ended? Has the imperialistic nature of people terminated? Is economic exploitation still not present? Are we in a utopian world? These questions and the world’s contemporary situation have been analyzed through the lens of Marxism and Postcolonialism. The analysis has been conducted through the works and concepts of Karl Marx, Friedrich Engels, Antonio Gramsci, Raymond Williams, Louis Althusser, and Terry Eagleton in Marxism, as well as Edward Said, Frantz Fanon, and Homi K. Bhabha in Postcolonialism. Moreover, there is a need to conduct a meta-theoretical synthesis of these theories and to analyze them through different dimensions, which will add to the variety and richness of the theories. While it’s a mirage to think about a utopian world as Marxism asserts, and the period and breadth of the Postcolonial period can’t be determined, still, these theories provide the concepts which are applicable and productive in the contemporary world. This paper will add new strata to the scholarship of both theories