The Dispelling Of Center And Regress Of Periphery

After the WW II, with the swift and violent development of the decolonization movement, the political and economic phenomenon of colonialism which began from c. 1500 has removed from the history stage on a global scale gradually. So people have already entered a world of decolonization in form. But, the disappearance of the colonist and the person who is colonized does not change the original contradiction. The cultural colonialism which springs up in the whole world capitalism system still impacts the national states in modern times that have lost the national culture dignity and acceptance of nations. The post colonialism which has risen since 1970's is exactly the reaction and description to this real status. It emphasizes the urgency and practical significance that the former colonial, non-western or Third World countries continue uncaging the colonialism, and makes every effort to dispel the political and cultural patterns which take the west as center, and rebuild the cultural dignity and national culture prospect of non-western or Third World countries. At the same time, postcolonialism is one of the newest theory thoughts, and a new force suddenly rising and marching from border to center when postmodernism is receding into the background in the academic circles of western theory. As a western theory too, it is the critical self-examination to a variety of effect and consequence of colonialism, and the discussion of global politics and cultural status after colonialism, it brings the fact and consequence of western colonization to east in culture into its own research range for the first time, it transfers the research core from text form to the criticism of culture and politics, and has distinct political nature and cultural criticism. And it has demonstrated a kind of new trends of western modern theory criticism "after postmodernism".The postcolonialism has definite feel of practice and the character of violent "counterdiscourse" that make it become one of the most influenced fields which extend most rapidly in current academic research, it refers to many subjects, such as plutonomy, comparative literature, cultural studies, anthropology, psychology, historiography and so on. The thesis attempts to discuss the evolution of western historiography under the impact of postcolonialism, and analyse the reasons of it and comments to the Postcolonial Historiography, explains the ways on rewriting their own history and carry through the cultural resistance purposely in non-western or Third World countries especially China in the postcolonial times. There are four parts in this thesis as following:The part of preface makes a general survey of the postcolonialism from theory and looks back on the academic research, introduces the situation of the studies about the Postcolonial Historiography in academic circles at home and abroad, as well as the aim of writing this thesis.Part one mainly discusses the evolution of western historiography under the impact of postcolonialism from five themes according to the characteristics of the Postcolonial Historiography. The Postcolonial Historiography opposes the concept of "History" in modern historiography which takes an evolutional view of Enlightenism and western culture as astarting point, and emphasizes the dispersion and diversity of historical development, and pays attention to the history of non-western areas, periphery and the Other; opposes the Europe-centered tradition in western historical studies, and emphasizes the local territory, difference and particularity of history and culture, and rewrites their history; opposes the magnificent narrate which primarily writes the histories of national states, and advocates "replaced historical writing", that is writing the constrained history not affected by Enlightenment History; advocates the "conception of global history", and making it as a method of observing and studing history; advocates the historical view of "inner forces" and using "eye of the Other" to observe and study history too.Part two analyses the reasons of the evolution. The thesis deeply discusses these reasons from special social and historical backgrounds; the cultural atmosphere of postmodernism and postcolonialism; the relations between postcolonialism and postmodernism, the Postcolonial Historiography and the Postmodern Historiography; some elicitations to postcolonialism and the Postcolonial Historiography brought by special eyeshot of Ethnology ; the development of historiography itself and the changes of historical antilogy. I consider the evolution as both challenges and requests advanced by times and postcolonialism; inheritance and development of the Postmodern Historiography; absorption and utilization of some theories and methods from other subjects; some adjustments made by historiography itself in order to fit the development of times and social history in the process of its own development.Part three is the comments to the Postcolonial Historiography. The thesis considers it has got certain accomplishments: it brings the historical thought of modernism and west-centered theory to account further in historical studies; it broadens the road of non-western and peripheral historiography. Some problems exist however: it dose not criticize to the west-centered theory in historical studies completely; rejects west-centered theory blindly, and is short of national history and culture's exchange and innovation, it can easily cause conservative, parochialism of history and culture, and form new national culture-centered view. So, we must take impersonal and fair attitudes to appraise the Postcolonial Historiography, only in this way, we can have more completely and deeper knowledge about it.Part four, the thesis points out that the Postcolonial Historiography has very important enlightenment to non-western and Third World countries, especially China on how to revolt the west cultural hegemony and disintegrate the authoritative utterance of imperialism, and make the decolonization of culture come true; how to deal with the relationship between western historiography and non-western historiography correctly; how to rebuild national culture dignity and make it be accepted; and how to rewrite non-western historiography, especially how to save Chinese historiography from western words and develop it.