Combating coloniality: the cultural policy of post-colonialism

Abstract

The distinguishing characteristic of cultural policy in countries characterized by a legacy of coloniality is the importance of the identity formation and the politics that are involved in formulating its definition. At root, coloniality is an experience involving dominating influence by a stronger power over a subject state. However, this is not just a matter of external governance or economic dependency, but of a cultural dominance that creates an asymmetrical relationship between the ‘center’ and the ‘periphery,’ between the ruling ‘hegemon’ and the marginalized ‘other.’ In these circumstances, what constitutes an “authentic” culture, and how this informs national identity, is a central political and social concern.

Keywords:

• coloniality
• identity formation
• post-colonialism
• hegemony
• cultural colonialism

Acknowledgments

I wish to thank Thomas Naquin and Andrew Trahan, my undergraduate research assistants, for their indefatigable support. I also wish to thank Jonathan Paquette for his continuing encouragement. Additionally, thanks to the anonymous reviewers for the journal for their comments and that were both insightful and extremely instructive.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author.