Colonialism/Postcolonialism (The New Critical Idiom)

Comqests and Exodus are as old as human race & hence colonising is no new thing.But when we speak about colonialism we now mean the domination of Asia Africa & the far east by euoropean powers.Ania loomba analyses the phenomenon with unusual insight . Loomba explores the mindset which lead to the conquest of the orient with the help of the wellknown Edward said book"orientalism"but never loses sight of the ground realities.Nor does she forgets the struggles of the oriental people which began almost simultaneous with the colonisation itself.She never loses sight of the great leaders GANDHI fANON & THE LIKE She also mentions with prophetic insight the impending danger of neo colonialism.On the whole I feel It is the best Introduction to the theory called Post colonialism

I read the book in the process of selecting a text-book that would serve the purpose of introducing my students to the tricky issues pertaining to colonialism and post-colonialism. I would have given it five stars if it were not for the author's failure sometimes in sufficiently expalining some of the terminology in connection with thinkers who influenced this discipline. I had no trouble sailing through her review of Said, Althusser, Fucault and other thinkers whose work I am familiar with but my students are not. I would definitely recommend this book for anyone interested in a conscise introduction to colonialism and postcolonialism but I have to warn you that some background reading is required first or else the first 30 or 40 pages would read like Double-Dutch to the uninformed or first-timer.