Towards (re)conciliation: the post colonial economy of giving
Date
1999-06-25T10:27:30Z
Authors
Ahluwalia, Pal
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Abstract
This paper examines three different post-colonial sites where
there is a need for reconciliation. The mode of analysis suggested here is
based on the notion of post-colonialism. This is not a repudiation of the
African past but an engagement with the manner in which Africa has dealt
with institutions and practices that it has inherited. The three sites,
Australia, Palestine and Rwanda, were examined through the lens of the
notion of the uncanny. Although each of these locations is different, they
nevertheless share the experience of colonisation. It is an experience which
has divided all these societies. The effect on post-colonial subjects living in
these societies is one of trauma. It is the uncanny which must be overcome
if any genuine process of reconciliation is to take place. It is argued that this
can be accomplished through the gift. A post-colonial economy of giving is
necessary in order to break down categories and identities which have been
ascribed or constructed in order to maintain power structures. A postcolonial
economy of giving which is linked inextricably to organic
intellectuals and a reconceptualised sense of citizenship is one that can
further processes of (re)conciliation.
Description
Paper for presentation at the Wits History Workshop, June 1999, on truth, reconciliation and memory. Draft not to be cited without author's permission.
Keywords
Reconciliation, Rwanda, Reconciliation, Australia, Reconciliation, Palestine, Genocide, Rwanda