Postcolonial Nationalism: The Campaign for Autonomy and the Formation of New Identities in the Postcolonial Era
(CSU, Fullerton)
Through a resurgence of nationalism a colonized people are often able to establish a unique cultural identity in which their existence under the suzerainty of their conqueror or in the postcolonial period that follows, becomes easier to tolerate. In this paper I will demonstrate how new identities are established when ethnic groups such as Slovaks and Hungarians and Palestinians and Israelis, assert their claim to specific lands by declaring primacy through primordial rights, providing justification for their claimed legitimacy of occupancy, and cite their connection to the past through the continuity of a shared historical ethnicity. I will show how archaeology and museums are used in order to facilitate this process. Also examined are several groups of modern nation-states such as France, Spain, and Britain who were at one time significant colonial powers, but currently maintain a mutually beneficial relationship with some of their former colonies. I will explain how identities have changed or attempts are being made to re-create them, often syncretistically, by looking at Northern Ireland Protestants, East and West Germans, as well as Native North Americans. I build my case by making a postmodernist examination of several ethnographic and historical records of various conflicting cultural groups then briefly outlining their historic relationship and contrasting their current one while applying a critical theoretical approach. My findings conclude that increased calls for distinctive recognition and greater autonomy, which are often met with longstanding intolerance, can be overcome with greater understanding and new power sharing relationships.