We must, many now argue, `get back' to history. but which one? History has always been a problematical concept in Western theory, particularly for Marxism. In the wake of postmodernism, its status has become ever less certain. Is it possible to write history that avoids the trap of Eurocentrism? Robert Young's investigation of 'the history of History', from Hegel and Marx to Althusser and Foucault, calls into question the Eurocentrism of traditional Marxist accounts of a single 'World History', in which, as he shows, the `Third World' appears as an unassimilable excess, surplus to the narrative of the West. Young goes on to consider recent questionings of the limits of Western knowledge. He argues that the efforts of Edward Said, Gayatri Chakravorty Spivak and Homi Bhabha to formulate non-historicist ways of thinking and writing history are part of a larger project of a decolonisation of History and a deconstruction of 'the West'.

White Mythologies

Literature & Fiction

ROBERT J.C. YOUNG

British & Irish

Routledge

Colonial Desire: Hybridity in Theory, Culture and Race

The language of contemporary cultural theory shows remarkable similarities with the patterns of thought which characterised Victorian racial theory. Far from being marked by a separation from the racialised thinking of the past, Colonial Desire shows we are operating in complicity with historical ways of viewing 'the other', both sexually and racially. Colonial Desire is a controversial and bracing study of the history of Englishness and 'culture'. Robert Young argues that the theories advanced today about post-colonialism and ethnicity are disturbingly close to the colonial discourse of the nineteenth century. 'Englishness', Young argues, has been less fixed and stable than uncertain, fissured with difference and a desire for otherness.

Colonial Desire

Arts & Photography

We must, many now argue, `get back' to history. but which one? History has always been a problematical concept in Western theory, particularly for Marxism. In the wake of postmodernism, its status has become ever less certain. Is it possible to write history that avoids the trap of Eurocentrism?Robert Young's investigation of 'the history of History', from Hegel and Marx to Althusser and Foucault, calls into question the Eurocentrism of traditional Marxist accounts of a single 'World History', in which, as he shows, the `Third World' appears as an unassimilable excess, surplus to the narrative of the West. Young goes on to consider recent questionings of the limits of Western knowledge. He argues that the efforts of Edward Said, Gayatri Chakravorty Spivak and Homi Bhabha to formulate non-historicist ways of thinking and writing history are part of a larger project of a decolonisation of History and a deconstruction of 'the West'.

In 1990, Robert Young's White Mythologies set out to question the very concepts of history and the West. Is it possible, he asked, to write history that avoids the trap of Eurocentrism? Is history simply a Western myth? His reflections on these topics provided some of the most important new directions in postcolonial studies and continue to exert a huge influence on the field. This new edition reprints what has quickly become a classic text, along with a substantial new essay reflecting on changes in the field and in the author's own position since publication. An essential read for all those working in postcolonial theory, literature and history, this book cemented Young's reputation as one of the country's most influential scholars and, as a new preface by Homi Bhabha comments, made an original and invaluable intervention in the field, leading even the most established figures to rethink their own positions. Provoking further re-evaluation with the new introductory essay, this second edition will like its predecessor be a key text for every academic and student in the field.

This key new introduction, by one of the leading exponents in the field, explains in clear and accessible language the historical and theoretical origins of post-colonial theory. Acknowledging that post-colonial theory draws on a wide, often contested, range of theory from different fields, Young analyzes the concepts and issues involved, explains the meaning of key terms, and interprets the work of some of the major writers concerned, to provide an ideal introductory guide for those undergraduates or academics coming to post-colonial theory and criticism for the first time.

Postcolonialism

History & Criticism

John Wiley&Sons

Empire, Colony, Postcolony

Wiley/Blackwell

Postcolonialism: An Historical Introduction

In this major contribution to debates about English identity, leading theorist Robert J.C. Young argues that Englishness was never really about England at all. In the nineteenth century, it was rather developed as a form of long-distance identity for the English diaspora around the world. Young shows how the effects of this continue to reverberate today, nationally and globally. 
<ul> <li>Written by an internationally established theorist, whose work has been translated into 20 languages 
</li> <li>Shows how potent the idea of Englishness is 
</li> <li>Helps to explain why the UK continues to act as if it has a ‘special relationship’ to the US 
</li> <li>Helps to explain why the UK is so successfully multicultural 
</li> <li>Part of the prestigious Blackwell Manifestos series</li> </ul>

The Idea of English Ethnicity (Wiley-Blackwell Manifestos)

The Idea of English Ethnicity

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by ROBERT J.C. YOUNG. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Books by ROBERT J.C. YOUNG

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by ROBERT J.C. YOUNG. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

White Mythologies

Colonial Desire

White Mythologies

White Mythologies

Postcolonialism

Empire, Colony, Postcolony

Postcolonialism: An Historical Introduction

Postcolonialism

The Idea of English Ethnicity (Wiley-Blackwell Manifestos)

The Idea of English Ethnicity