The Postcolonial Other as a Problem for Political Action

Abstract

This article is an attempt to broach the issue of heterogeneity, recasting it as a problem for theories of postcolonialism, and for the poststructuralist theories on which they are based. Heterogeneity results in a dilemma for the theorising of reconstitutive political action: If the colonised person is seen as radically heterogeneous, s/he is inevitably either passive and incapable of acting for liberation, or the discourses which allow for resistance or emancipatory action are subject to the same critique as the discourses of imperialist domination. Where heterogeneity is conceived as a problem, but theoretically retained and affirmed, the theory becomes incoherent. This is a result of the terms in which heteroge­neity has been cast in these theories. Ultimately the problem of heterogeneity as it emerges in theories of postcolonialism threatens to undermine the political dimension of these theories, and of poststructuralism.

Opsomming
In hierdie artikel word gepoog om die kwessie van heterogenerteit te bespreek deur dit enersyds te herformuleer as 'n probleem binne postkolonialistiese teoriee en deur dit andersyds te sien as 'n vraagstuk wat ook betrekking het op die poststrukturalistiese teoriee waarop postkolonialisme gebaseer is. Heterogenei'teit loop uit op 'n dilemma vir die teoretisering van hersamestellende politieke optrede: indien die gekolonialiseerde persoon gesien word as radikaal heterogeen, is sy/hy onvermydelik 6f passief en dus nie in staat tot bevrydende optrede nie, 6f die diskoerse wat weerstand of emansiperende optrede toelaat is onderworpe aan dieselfde kritiek as die diskoerse van imperialistiese oorheer­sing. Waar heterogenerteit beskou word as 'n probleem wat teoreties gehandhaaf en bevestig word, word die teorie onsamehangend. Dit is 'n gevolg van die voorwaardes waarkragtens heterogenerteit binne dergelike teoriee sy beslag gekry het. In die laaste instansie dreig die probleem van heterogenei'teit, soos dit te voorskyn tree in postkolonia­listiese teoriee, om die politieke dimensies van hierdie teoriee en van poststrukturalisme te ondermyn.