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Postmodernism
and the Other
The New Imperialism of Western Culture
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Reviewed
by Joanne McEwan
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24/07/2002
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Author:
Ziauddin Sardar
Publisher: Pluto Press, London, 1998
Pages: 345
Postmodernism
is one of the most difficult subjects to define and probably the
most overplayed at that. With the multitude of academics from
different disciplines contributing to the discourse it can be a dry
and tediously deep subject.
Sardar,
however, presents its definition in plain English. Not only that, he
directly exposes postmodernism for what it really is and what it
means to those of the non-west (the Other) it claims to champion.
Sardar
states the principles of postmodernism clearly.
The
first is that truth is relative, where fiction and narrative provide
a better diction on human behavior than religion, philosophy and
theory.
The
second principle is the denial of reality where we see what we want
to see.
The
third is that the world is simulated into imagery and
representations rather than a world that is real and tangible.
On
this point Sardar states, “This means that the world has been
transformed into a theatre where everything is artificially
constructed. Politics is a stage-managed for mass consumption.
Television documentaries are transformed and presented as
entertainment. Journalism blurs the distinction between fact and
fiction. Living individuals become characters in soap operas and
fictional characters assume real lives. Everything happens
instantaneously and everybody gets a live feed on everything that is
happening in the global theatre.” (p. 23)
The
fourth and fifth principles are life has no meaning and everything
is doubtful which naturally follow from the previous three.
The
fifth and last is that postmodernism is concerned with the
multiplicity of everything. All differences are welcomed and
privilege is replaced with equality in race, class, gender,
ethnicity, religion, and sexual orientation.
The
effect of these principles on the non-west is shown to be negative
and threatening. The fifth principle, although appearing to be
positive in concept, in reality, reeks with duplicity and hypocrisy.
Sardar
removes these principles from the constraints of academia, and
brings them all to life in vivid examples from international
politics, film, literature, consumer lifestyle, popular culture,
science and religion. Catchy and somewhat satirical headings make it
lighter reading.
In
the chapter “A Grand Memory for Forgetting” Sardar shows how
history has been restructured to the tastes of postmodernism. Taking
Disney’s animated film Pocahontas as an example, he describes how
the film is very different from the true story. This is not the
first time we have heard this from critics but Sardar takes the
discussion further.
He
identifies the hints of the colonialist and orientalist past forming
a film that stands for nothing more than white supremism. In
approximately 40 pages Sardar analyses this film and the related
historic content.
For
example, he says, notice also how in the role of Pocahontas, the
Native American girl, is meaningless until she has a white man to
save from savages. Also, unlike any other Disney film, the animals
don’t talk to the human being, in this case Pocahontas. This
realistic touch has added to a sense of ‘truth’ in the tale.
Despite
the common errors in the story, Disney is at the same accurate in
many other aspects – for example, John Smith’s compass and
Pocahontas cart-wheeling around (historic records state these
particular incidents, among others).
As
Sardar surmises, “Their magical confabulation makes it possible to
revisit history in a new, improved fashion, simultaneously it makes
it more difficult to disentangle the mythical refashioning from
recorded history and both confidence tricks operate to distract
attention from the main import of the exercise…” (p. 92)
The
images from this film are now fixated on the minds of children to
the extent that the fairytale has become fact and the true story has
become a myth.
Consumer
lifestyle, which so dominates our lives, is discussed in the chapter
“Recycling Shampoo.” In true postmodern fashion, the west
absorbs the identity of the ‘Other’ through consumerism in both
the west and non-west.
Take
a walk down the city high street in any western town and observe how
the non-west is fashioned to the tastes of consumers. In the U.K.
and the U.S. you will find the colonial past romanticized and
glorified through cool, cotton, casual clothing in shops like Banana
Republic, Safari Clothing, East India Company and British India.
All sell merchandise that suggests an aura of nostalgia for the
imperialist, triumphant past rather than a whiff of disgust for its
barbarism.
The
Body Shop is another example of postmodern hype. It exists solely
from appropriating the products and experiences of cultures of the
non-west. Its creams, oils and lotions are cleverly marketed as
natural, ethnic and exotic with the help of the minimal packaging
and short descriptions of their origins.
Now
they have found their way ‘back’ to non-western countries. But,
as Sardar says, “it is when these products are exported back to
the Third World that they lose their innocence. When Body Shop
products arrive in a non-western country, they are no more natural
than any other processed commodity. They have the cachet of a
western product and are consumed by the natives as such: the
inferiority of the indigenous product becomes worthy of consumption
by the locals only when it is refined by the west is further
entrenched.” (p. 125)
The
non-west is a growing market with their proliferation in a youthful
population compared to the diminishing youth in the west. Unlike
during the modern period, where the Third World was told just to
buy, in the postmodern period they are told to buy and change their
culture. The Marlboro Man is an example, which not only sells a
product western doctors have proven to be detrimental to one’s
health, but sells the complete get-up and image that goes along with
it: the cowboy look with that distinct coolness.
Postmodernism’s
affect on the ‘Other’ has a bleak prognosis. One can hardly
imagine there is much of a cure. But what adds to the appeal of this
book is the last chapter, “Surviving Postmodernism,” in which
Sardar offers modest and positive conceptual ways for those of the
non-west to counter this force.
He
states that from the perspective of the non-western cultures,
surviving postmodernism means moving towards tradition. This is
apposed to traditionalism.
Tradition
is, according to Sardar, changeable and proactive, whereas
traditionalism is passive, rigid and reactionary. Sardar indicates
the knee-jerk type reaction of movements (although he doesn’t give
any examples) that dwell on the past and hold fast to rules and
regulations that are no longer appropriate.
This
concept of turning to tradition to quell the wave of postmodernism
is further explained with reference to the poetry and philosophy of
Muhammad Iqbal on the Islamic concept of fitrah or innate
nature.
This
is unlike postmodernism where the individual’s ego takes center
stage. Says Sardar, “The notion of fitrah is the antithesis
of western individualism, not because it denies individual freedom,
personality, identity and responsibility – all these are basic
ideas fundamental to an Islamic outlook – but because in the
Islamic purview the individual is only conceivable within a web of
essential relationships wherein their individuality is neither
dominant nor the only significant consideration if the person is to
be true to his or her innate nature.” (p. 275)
Sardar
states that, according to Iqbal, a community can only be self-aware
if it holds on to its memory, tradition and living history.
Despite its Islamic roots this concept can be applied to non-Muslim
cultures of the non-west.
Sardar
also suggests the need for cultural autonomy and authenticity that
should not be drowned by the dominant western culture that is
over-shadowing the non-west today.
Lastly,
the author suggests that the affected cultures and countries have to
be aware and admit to the darker side of their past. The non-west
has cultures that are valuable enough to hold on to, but there are
aspects from the political to the social, that need to be addressed.
And it is through self-assessment that they can improve and achieve.
Postmodernism
and the ‘Other’ is an immense read. It is packed with anecdotes
and analogies referring to everyday life in the western or
non-western world. Throughout the book, it is difficult not be
appalled at the injustices and moral relativism of postmodernism.
As
a Muslim academic, author and editor of some well-respected books on
Islam, one can sense Sardar’s convictions to Islamic thought;
meanwhile appreciate his objectivity and interest in non-Muslim
cultures, and other religions. The sections on the plight on the
Native Americans and Aboriginals are good examples.
What
is also impressive is the author’s extensive knowledge on just
about every discipline from popular culture to religion to the
annals of science. Sardar’s discourse is bold, polemic and
objective: he doesn’t mince his words. A trip to the Body Shop,
or anything of similar import will never be the same again.
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