Martin Svensson
English for Subject Teachers, 61-90 credits Degree Project (15 credits)
Spring 2020
Supervisor: Jenny Siméus Examiner: Jenny Malmqvist
A Didactic Consideration of Teaching Postcolonial
Literary Concepts with Examples from Arvind Adiga’s
The White Tiger
Postcolonial Literature in Swedish
EFL Teaching:
Title: Postcolonial Literature in Swedish EFL Teaching: A Didactic Consideration of Teaching Postcolonial Literary Concepts with Examples from Arvind Adiga’s The White
Tiger
Author: Martin Svensson Number of pages: 18
Abstract
This study examines what support that exists in the Swedish upper secondary school curriculum and the English 7 syllabus for teaching postcolonial literature and the postcolonial literary concepts of binary pairs and Othering. This study also illustrates how Arvind Adiga’s
The White Tiger (2008) could serve as an example of a postcolonial novel to exemplify said
concepts in the EFL classroom. To answer these questions, a definition of the postcolonial genre as well as a definition of the concepts within postcolonial literary theory was formulated. With the theoretical framework in place, an analysis of the steering documents was conducted. The Swedish curriculum’s focus on the teaching of every human’s equal value and rights relate to the postcolonial genre, as the genre is dedicated to telling marginalised perspectives in the modern world. The syllabus states that teaching different genres of literature and the usage of different perspectives in the classroom should be a part of the English subject. This supports the teaching of postcolonial literature as it is a successor to Western classics as well as shift in perspective from the colonisers to the colonised. The teaching of the concepts of binary pairs and Othering were indicated to be potentially challenging to practically implement, as literary didactic literature stated the difficulties of adapting literary theory to an upper secondary school level. Teaching literary concepts was indicated to be achievable provided that teachers teach theory with clear guidance of what context to use it in and where not to use it. As for binary pairs and Othering within Adiga’s
The White Tiger (2008), the examples focused on were the Indias of Light and Darkness, and
how this binary pair Othered one another. As such, the results were found to indicate that there is support for teaching postcolonial literature as well as postcolonial concepts, and that Adiga’s novel would be an adequate text to use for exemplifying these in the classroom.
Keywords: postcolonial literature, postcolonial concepts, binary pairs, Othering, curriculum, syllabus
Table of content
1. INTRODUCTION...1
2. BACKGROUND...2
2.1 PREVIOUSRESEARCH...2
2.2 SELECTIONOF PREVIOUSRESEARCH...4
2.3 DEFININGTHEPOSTCOLONIALGENRE...4
2.4 WHY THE WHITE TIGER?...5
3. AIM AND RESEARCH QUESTIONS...6
4. METHOD OF STUDY...6
4.1 POSTCOLONIALTHEORETICALFRAMEWORK...7
5. RESULTS AND ANALYSIS...8
5.1 POSTCOLONIALLITERATUREIN SWEDISHUPPERSECONDARYSCHOOL...8
5.1.1 Curriculum for the upper secondary school (2013)...8
5.1.2 The English 7 syllabus (2011)...11
5.2 THEBENEFITSOFPOSTCOLONIALTERMINOLOGYINTHE SWEDISH EFL CLASSROOM...13
5.3 THE WHITE TIGERINTHE SWEDISH EFL CLASSROOM...15
5.3.1 Binary pairs in The White Tiger...15
5.3.2 Othering in The White Tiger...16
6. CONCLUSION...17
1. Introduction
Reading literature is one way to understand both the concept of the self and the world beyond it (Schwarz, 2008, p. 38). In the Swedish EFL classroom, the teaching of literature tends to be traditional English classic literature, as the cultural texts of inner circle English-speaking nations are considered model texts (Lundahl, 2012, p. 93). The meaning of classic in this context is “a piece of writing, a musical recording, or a film that is well known and of a high standard and lasting value" (Cambridge Dictionary, u.å). How some literary works have attained this status is a testament to their qualities, but also a result of sociocultural values interfering with what is considered English literary canon. While representing certain literary epochs and styles of writing the literary classics have also been used as instruments of power, to establish and maintain a colonising culture as a paragon for the colonised (Chowdhury, 1992, p. 192). The use of English literature in the Swedish EFL context carries no colonial connections, yet the teaching of English classics mirror that of the surrounding Anglophone world. The established Western canon of literature often represents the white upper-to-middle class man throughout history, distancing themselves and their experiences from that of other ethnicities and lower social classes (Gates, 1985, p. 2). Exclusively working with classics in the EFL classroom risks maintaining the hegemony of the Western literary canon, as it ensures that marginalised stories remain untold. This should be counteracted by introducing literary theories that broaden students’ perception of the world (Skolverket, 2013, p. 4). To do so, several schools of literary theory stand at disposal – such as feminist, Marxist and postcolonial criticism. Of these, the postcolonial approach represents the reality furthest from that of the Western literary canon norms. Postcolonial literature is a wide term covering previously colonised nations and regions, as well as groups within the English diaspora (Boehmer, 2005, p. 214). An example of a previously colonised nation is India, which will be the focus of this study’s literary analysis.
In this essay I will illustrate how students can learn about and recognise the postcolonial concepts of binary pairs and Othering in literary texts. In doing so I will exemplify how working with Arvind Adiga’s The White Tiger (2008) could benefit students taking advanced level English classes in Sweden’s upper secondary school.
2. Background
In the English 7 syllabus, the Swedish National Agency for Education states explicit focus upon teaching different literary genres, as well as students being made aware of societal issues within the English-speaking world (2011, p. 11). However, which literary genres that are to be taught are never specified, neither are authors or literary works. Thereby a canon is never established in the Swedish National Agency for Education’s guidelines for the English subject. This means that teachers are free to use whatever representative literary work they please as a representation of a certain genre.
2.1 Previous research
In the article A Pedagogy of Post-Colonial Literature (1997), Lindsay Pentolfe Aegerter accounted for her experience of teaching postcolonial literature at college level in the U.S.A. Aegerter found that the reading of postcolonial literature could become controversial, as some non-marginalised students experienced marginalised texts as “reverse racism” (1997, p. 142). Aegerter argued that to combat this, students should be made aware of their own construct of identity and how it impacts their perception of other perspectives than their own. Using a “matrix of identity”, which is a mapping tool were students discern their own perspective in relation to a specific topic, this was achieved (1997, p. 147). In conclusion, Aegerter’s experience of teaching postcolonial literature indicated that it widened her students’ perception of the world as well as developed their ability to empathise.
In the article Experience and Acceptance of Postcolonial Literature in the High
School English Class (1998) Patricia Goldblatt wrote about her eight-year long experience of
teaching postcolonial literature in a Canadian secondary school. Goldblatt described an initial antagonism towards what was called “Third World Literature”. This receded as students were made aware of how their own perspectives differed from one another yet were equally valid through classroom exercises of sharing perspectives connected to students differing cultural origins (1998, p. 72). Goldblatt concluded that the rebranding of the course to “Postcolonial Literature” as well as increased media coverage, such as e.g. the Booker Prize, concerning postcolonial experiences had benefitted the teaching of postcolonial literature over her time teaching the genre (1998, p. 76).
Wisam Kh. Abdul-Jabbar’s article The rise of the unsaid: spaces in teaching
postcolonial literature (2015) examined how to teach postcolonial literature in a Canadian
book, what pedagogy, and what theory to teach (2015, p. 221). The solution was concluded to be a three-phased method of teaching the strategies of collaborative learning and reader response (Abdul-Jabbar, 2015, p. 230).
In the master’s thesis A Contextualized Reading of The White Tiger (2008) and
its Potential for Teaching in the Austrian EFL Classroom (2015) Angela Hubinger performed
a literary analysis and didactic consideration of the text’s usefulness in teaching literature. Being the most similar study to what this study has set out to accomplish, it is important to show the differences between this study and Hubinger’s. Hubinger’s didactic consideration was done with the Austrian curriculum in mind, which is not interchangeable with the Swedish curriculum. Further, Hubinger’s literary analysis focuses on illustrating postcolonial concepts such as hybridity, animalization of the native people, and mimicry, which differ from the postcolonial theoretical framework of this study (2015, p. 110).
The previously mentioned lack of a literary canon was explored in Andreas Signell’s master’s thesis An Argument for a Postcolonial Canon of Literature for
Upper-Secondary Schools in Multicultural Sweden (2016). Signell argued that the lack of an
established canon in the Swedish EFL classroom is a missed opportunity to introduce mandatory postcolonial literature in Swedish schools, guaranteeing the introduction of multicultural literature in classrooms. Signell found that establishing a postcolonial literary canon would be in accordance with current criteria both in the English subject and the general criteria for of the upper secondary schools. The postcolonial canon would however not singlehandedly fix the challenge of integration that exists in multicultural Sweden (Signell, 2016, p. 35).
The study Exploring EFL Literature Approaches in Dutch Secondary Education (Bloemert et al., 2016) categorised teaching literature into four approaches – text, context,
reader and language. The text approach concerns teaching formal literary elements, such as
types of texts. The context approach focuses on teaching the historical, social and cultural reality that literature springs from, meant to challenge students’ perception of cultures, both their own and others. The reader approach aims to train the students’ ability of interpretation, as well as their acceptance of worldviews that differ from their own. The language approach favours extensive reading to improve the students’ language learning by introducing them to many kinds of texts. These four aspects were deemed as intertwined by Bloemert et al., forming the Comprehensive Approach for teaching literature (2016, p. 176). However, the study also illustrated how the four approaches were used to different extents depending on the progress of the students. The text approach was favoured at lower levels of secondary school
and the context approach was gradually applied as the students became more proficient in English (Bloemert et al., 2016, p. 183). This study has served as a support for the relevance of the context approach to literary teaching as students reach more advanced courses.
2.2 Selection of previous research
Of the studies mentioned above, none except Signell (2016) concern the Swedish EFL context. As such, the findings of the American and Canadian studies of Aegerter (1997), Goldblatt (1998) and Abdul-Jabbar (2015) are not directly transferrable to a Swedish classroom context. It should also be mentioned that the studies of Aegerter and Goldblatt are over twenty years old. However, considering their Canadian and American status as culturally diverse nationalities in ways that Sweden was not twenty years ago, their findings concerning English literature teaching can still be considered valid. The studies of Bloemer et al., (2016) as well as Hubinger (2015), may not be set in a Swedish context, but in a European EFL context, which ensures some common denominators with the Swedish EFL context. Something they all share is the focus on teaching English literature, as well as, apart from Aegerter (1997), all concern an upper secondary level of education. As for the Swedish context, peer reviewed studies concerning the teaching of postcolonial literature has been found to be uncommon. Therefore, most studies concerning the Swedish EFL teaching of postcolonial literature are written by undergraduate students. Thereby, a gap to fill in the previous research has been discovered.
2.3 Defining the postcolonial genre
In The Empire Writes Back, Ashcroft et al., stated that the term postcolonial is used to cover cultures affected by imperialism from the initial colonisation until the present day (2002, p. 2). This definition paints a picture using broad brush strokes. Whether postcolonial authors are male or female nationals of former colonies, indigenous people or diasporic they are all part of the postcolonial world (Boehmer, 2005, p. 214). What unifies such a diverse crowd as all cultural literatures touched by colonialism, is the fact of their shared experience (Ashcroft et al., 2002, p. 200).
These narratives tell of perspectives of the colonised rather than the colonising Western world, which previously has been the norm in the literary canon. As such the postcolonial genre is anti-canon, as it opposes a predominant, monocultural worldview (Loomba, 2005, p. 63). This shift in perspective has the goal of correcting the misrepresentation of marginalised people that is the Western canon. Therefore, it could be
argued that the postcolonial genre is a result and successor of the classics, as it tells the other side of the stories that have come to be regarded as classics. As stated by Edward W. Said in
Culture and Imperialism, the literary classics of the English-speaking world rest on an
assumed status quo of imperialism that enables the world of these classics (1993, p. 62).
2.4 Why The White Tiger?
The postcolonial literatures are a diverse research area, which by scholars such as Ashcroft et al., have been divided into different categories of study depending on factors related to authorship such as regional or ethnic origin (2002, p. 14). However, as the genre evolved with time more authorships were acknowledged as postcolonial – such as indigenous peoples, women, and diasporic migrants within former colonial languages (Boehmer, 2005, p. 214). For this study, postcolonial literature from India is used as an example of a place where the English language is used (Mohammadzadeh, 2009, p. 27). The fact that the novel is a depiction of India in the 21st century ensures that the fictional representation of the Indian society does not suffer from old age. This heightens the relevance of the narrative, as students can relate to the narrative in the classroom. Further, as argued by Goldblatt, a Booker Prize-winning novel is more likely to be seen as an interesting and valid text (1998, p. 76).
Arvind Adiga’s The White Tiger (2008) is a story told by a self-proclaimed entrepreneur and murderer named Balram, writing letters directed to a Chinese statesman visiting India. The story concerns Balram’s origins in a small rural village, his move to a city to find employment as the personal chauffeur of a landowner and his subsequent murder of said employer. Along the way of this narrative, Balram tells not only the story of himself but also the story of his contemporary India. The story paints a picture of corruption, discrimination, oppression, and violence that is described as the “real” India. The novel has been of interest to postcolonial literary scholars such as Ines Detmers, who examined the impact of Adiga’s work in an article published in Journal of Postcolonial Writing (2011). Detmers’ conclusion was that Adiga’s depiction of the Indian literal cutthroat entrepreneur was not an ideal to strive towards, so much as a warning against the egoistic, capitalist standards of today’s India (2011, p. 544).
The novel could be argued to be inappropriate for a classroom setting, given that it is a murderer’s narrative and a tale of corruption that paints the nation of India in an unflattering light. However, these controversial aspects can also be beneficial for a novel to be used in the English 7 classroom. Not only are students more mature and ready for interpretation of questionable ethical topics, but it is also expected of them to know of how
living conditions vary within English-speaking societies (Skolverket, 2011, p. 11). Besides the benefits of broadened perspectives in the classroom, the darker themes of the novel might also be considered a more exciting read by students than older, less controversial texts (Lundahl, 2012, p. 101).
3. Aim and research questions
The aim is to examine and discuss what support there is for teaching postcolonial literature and concepts in the steering documents for the Swedish upper secondary school and the English subject, as well as examine how Aravind Adiga’s novel The White Tiger (2008) can be used to exemplify postcolonial concepts.
How and to what extent does teaching postcolonial literature and literary theory correspond to the curriculum and syllabus for English 7?
How could teaching postcolonial literary concepts such as binary pairs and Othering benefit students in accordance with the English 7 syllabus?
How could Adiga’s The White Tiger be used to exemplify binary pairs and Othering to students?
4. Method of study
To answer the research questions, the Swedish National Agency for Education’s curriculum for upper secondary school and English 7 syllabus will be analysed to assess their compatibility with the postcolonial literary genre. The postcolonial concepts of this study will need to be specified to show how they would be beneficiary in Swedish EFL teaching. Once specified, a qualitative literary analysis of these concepts in Adiga’s The White Tiger (2008) will exemplify how the text could be of use in the Swedish EFL classroom.
Throughout this study, the concepts will be treated as “definitive” concepts, meaning that they are to be considered static entities (Bryman, 2016, p. 382). The reason for this is that these postcolonial concepts are complex and hard to define yet considering them as static ensures the establishing of a common ground for discussion. While this view of concepts within qualitative research can be seen as simplifying or generalising, it is a conscious choice meaning to isolate the postcolonial concepts and give a basic example of a theoretical template that could be used for teaching postcolonial analysis in the EFL
classroom. This is seen as an adaptation of the complex topic of teaching literary theory on an upper secondary school level.
4.1 Postcolonial theoretical framework
Postcolonial theory is a vast research area, which concerns both geographical, historical, political, and cultural studies. Edward W. Said introduced several of the now hallmark ideas of postcolonial theory in his text Orientalism, first published in 1978. In Orientalism Said exemplified how the West distanced itself from the East by creating a norm – the “Occident”, that was everything the “Orient” was not (2003, p. 2). Said considered Western literature to be one of the most important methods of maintaining the Western belief of superiority over the Orient. The Western canon’s portrayal of the Orient solidified the European belief that the colonised needed the colonisers to have a functioning civilisation. Seconding Said’s belief of the tradition of Western misrepresentation of the Orient, and the defenceless Orient’s silence, Ania Loomba’s Colonialism/Postcolonialism deemed the colonists’ use of literature crucial to maintaining their control over the colonised (2005, p. 66). Loomba further argued that the study of non-Western texts is vital to the widening of the Western perspective (2005, p. 82). The reading of postcolonial literature serves as a voice for the stories previously unheard of, telling of how it is to be other than Western. This study focuses on two chosen postcolonial literary concepts: binary pairs and Othering.
Binary pairs, such as Said’s “Occident/Orient” exists in a state of perpetual duality
where they “[…] support and to an extent reflect eachother” (2003, p. 5). Other common examples of binaries in narratives are good/evil, light/darkness, civilised/barbarian and West/East, to name a few. These explicit examples are products of the Western literary canon, which constantly distances itself from other cultures by creating an Us and Them.
Othering, is the demonising, exotifying and misrepresentation of everything that is
not familiar, and thereby Other. Traditionally, for Europeans, this has been the Orient – a deviant entity that is essentially, universally different from the Occidental norm (Said, 1993, p. xiii).
Said concluded his Orientalism with a word of warning – the Western canon has not stopped dividing the world into us and them, neither will the injustice of institutionalised Othering be undone by switching focus to Occidentalism. The scholarly knowledge of Orientalism, and
how to recognise it, could hinder the reproduction of it in future studies and representations of other cultures (Said, 2003, p. 328).
5. Results and analysis
This study will be divided into three main parts. The first part concern how the curriculum for upper secondary school and the English 7 syllabus correspond to the teaching of postcolonial literature. The second will exemplify how students could benefit from learning of the postcolonial concepts of binary pairs and Othering. The third will examine how Adiga’s The
White Tiger (2008) could be used to exemplify these postcolonial literary concepts in the
Swedish EFL classroom.
5.1 Postcolonial literature in Swedish upper secondary school
The English subject as taught in Swedish schools does not adhere to an established canon of literature. This leaves the choice of literature to be made individually by every teacher but is also limited by factors such as school budgets and library assets, which impact what literature is available to teach.
5.1.1 Curriculum for the upper secondary school (2013)
The curriculum concerns all teaching on upper secondary level split into two main parts, covering the fundamental values and tasks of the school as well as overall goals and guidelines. While this document has no direct influence over what specific skills are taught in the subject of English, its fundamental values should be present in every part of upper secondary teaching. The curriculum advocates: “The inviolability of human life, individual freedom and integrity, the equal value of all people, equality between women and men, and solidarity between people are the values that the education should represent and impart” (Skolverket, 2013, p. 4). The introduction of postcolonial literature in Swedish EFL classrooms would make students aware of how values such as these differ across the world as well as through time. The curriculum further states that: “The school should promote understanding of other people and the ability to empathise. […] Xenophobia and intolerance must be confronted with knowledge, open discussion and active measures” (Skolverket, 2013, p. 4). The postcolonial genre consists of untold perspectives, which makes it relevant for nuancing students’ perception of the world. Further, knowing of the struggles of other people
and empathising with them, disarm the ignorance that is xenophobia’s breeding ground (Loomba, 2005, p. 82). The Swedish school is a multicultural meeting place, which makes it important that the education promotes the value of cultural diversity, such as literature that differs from that of the Western canon (Lundahl, 2012, p. 95-96).
The curriculum further states that ethical, environmental, international and historical perspectives should be taught (Skolverket, 2013, p. 6). Postcolonial literature carries the potential of illustrating all these perspectives simultaneously. The subject of this study,
The White Tiger, presents the ethical dilemmas of the Indian caste system, the environmental
issue of the polluted Ganga river, India as an international player in the economic sector, and how the colonial past still impacts the nation (2008). Historically, colonialism is responsible for international issues such as ethnic conflicts and resource wars. Further, the environmental issues the planet is suffering from are to a large extent man-made, a consequence of the colonial exploitation of natural resources that during the last centuries have escalated (McKay et al., 2015, p. 1045). As for the curriculum’s directives concerning knowledge and learning, it is stated that: “Students’ acquisition of knowledge is dependent on developing the ability to see interconnections. The school should enable students to gain a general and coherent view.” (Skolverket, 2013, p. 6). These interconnections would in the context of reading postcolonial literature be the understanding of how the colonialist past has created the challenges of the modern world, from several of the earlier-mentioned perspectives. To acquire the ability to see interconnections, students must be made aware of how knowledge is relational (Byram, 1997, p. 36). To understand the perspectives told through postcolonial literature, students must understand how their cultural perspective relates to and is interconnected with that of the literature. A tool for mapping students’ own identities would be Aegerter’s matrix of identity, which defines interconnections and power relations between different perspectives (1997, p. 147).
The curriculum’s second part concerns the overall goals and guidelines of the upper secondary school. Here it is stated that students: “can use non-fiction, fiction and other forms of culture as a source of knowledge, insight and pleasure […]; have knowledge about and insight into the main parts of Swedish, Nordic and Western cultural heritage; have knowledge about human rights” (Skolverket, 2013, p. 8). As stated earlier, the postcolonial reality of the world exists because of a previously colonised world, which is why the literature of the present is a result of earlier Western cultural hegemony (Ashcroft et al., 2002, p. 7). The introduction of postcolonial literature also illustrates how Western society is built upon the violation of human rights in previous colonies (Said, 1993, p. 87). The curriculum further
states the goal that students should “have the ability to critically examine and assess what they see, hear and read in order to be able to discuss and take a view on different issues concerning life and values”(Skolverket, 2013, p. 9). These abilities would also be grounds for the teaching of postcolonial literature, as it would widen students’ perspectives as well as nuance their perception of the world (Gagnestam, 2003, p. 220). The curriculum continues with the heading “Norms and values”, where the following goals are listed:
• can consciously determine their views based on knowledge of human rights and
fundamental democratic values, as well as personal experiences, • respect the intrinsic value and integrity of other people,
• reject the subjection of people to oppression and degrading treatment, […] • can interact with other people based on respect for differences in living conditions, culture, language, religion and history,
• can empathise with and understand the situation of other people, […] and • show respect and care for both the immediate environment, as well as the environment from a broader perspective (Skolverket, 2013, p. 10).
These requirements, which are interpreted as expressions of humanitarian ethics, could all be met with the inclusion of postcolonial literature in the classroom. Considering the school environment as “a microcosm of society”, the inclusion of postcolonial literature could illustrate how experiences of culture, living conditions and history shift within societies (Roth, 1999, p. 10). Grafting these goals with a relevant postcolonial text would ensure that students encounter said topics.
5.1.2 The English 7 syllabus (2011)
Considering the findings of Bloemert et al., (2016), it can be concluded that the comprehensive approach is a solid way for overall English teaching. Yet the context approach is the one which was found to be most used when teaching literature to older students (Bloemert et al., 2016, p. 183). This is a natural progression following the improvement of students’ language skills, which ensures focus on the context and meaning of literature rather than word learning (Lundahl, 2012, p. 53). It is therefore of interest to examine what support for teaching postcolonial literature that can be found in the English 7 syllabus, on account of it being the most advanced English course in upper secondary school (Skolverket, 2011).
The aims of the English subject state that students should be given the opportunity to develop knowledge of living conditions, social issues and cultural features in
different contexts and parts of the world where English is used. Students should also meet written English of different kinds (Skolverket, 2011, p. 1). The subject aims conclude with bullet points of what students are to develop, of which the following are relevant for this study:
Understanding of spoken and written English, and also the ability to interpret content.
The ability to use different language strategies in different contexts.
The ability to discuss and reflect on living conditions, social issues and cultural features in different contexts and parts of the world where English is used (Skolverket, 2011, p. 2).
The first point connects to the use of literature in the classroom to develop this skill. The second states the relevance of teaching different reading strategies for literary analysis, as methods of approach should vary according to texts and needs (Abdul-Jabbar, 2015, p. 224). Lastly, the third solidifies the potential for using postcolonial literature in teaching, as the directive to discuss living conditions, social issues and cultural features are trademark concepts of the postcolonial genre. Taking into consideration that these topics are to be from contexts and parts of the world that are English-speaking, it can be assumed that examples of all three will be found in former English colonies, such as India. The joining of these three aims motivate the reading and analysis of postcolonial literature in the English subject.
As for English 7, the syllabus consists of a core content split in three subheadings: Content of communication, Reception and Production and interaction. The Content of communication states the following:
Theoretical and complex subject areas, also of a more scientific nature, related to students' education, chosen specialisation area, societal issues and working life; thoughts, opinions, ideas, experiences and feelings; cultural expressions in modern times and historically, such as literary periods.
Societal issues, cultural, historical, political and social conditions, and also ethical and existential issues in different contexts and parts of the world where English is used (Skolverket, 2011, p. 11).
In accordance with the first point, the introduction of postcolonial literature in the classroom would be a logical step in teaching the historical progression in literary expression. The second point ties into the fact that the postcolonial genre springs from a state of Otherness in relation to classic literature. Due to being told from a marginalised perspective, these stories
have an intrinsic value as the voice of the Other in the history and culture of English canon (Goldblatt, 1998, p. 72). The inclusion of the postcolonial perspective in literature teaching ensures that students meet authentic material to represent cultural expression, rather than material that is constructed to inform them on it while teaching language (Collie & Slater, 2009, p. 3).
The next subheading is Reception, where the following points are to be taken into consideration.
Spoken language, also with different social and dialect features, and texts, including complex and formal texts which relate, discuss, argue, report, describe and investigate […].
Contemporary and older literature and other fiction in various genres such as drama.
Strategies for drawing conclusions about the spoken language and texts in terms of attitudes, perspectives, purposes and values, and to understand implied meaning. How oral and written communications in different genres are built up. How
stylistics and rhetorical devices are used for different purposes and how language is used as an instrument to exercise power (Skolverket, 2011, p. 11).
Concerning the first point, postcolonial literature is the product of a certain social belonging, being written from a perspective with an innate knowledge of its peripheral origins. While it is impossible to state that the postcolonial genre universally illustrates social or dialectal features, it could be deemed a recurring theme. The second point connects to teaching postcolonial literature as it is both a contemporary and historically influenced genre. The third point ties into the teaching of reading strategies, as it dictates that students should be given the means to interpret the content of texts they are presented with. Lastly, the fourth point concerns the identification of stylistics and language as an instrument of power, which connects to the teaching of postcolonial literature as it is an expression of counter power to the Western canon (Chowdhury, 1992, p. 192).
The last subheading Production and interaction concerns productive abilities, of which the following point is of interest. It states that students should be trained in: “Processing of language and structure in their own and others' communications, in formal and complex contexts, and to create adaptation to genre, style and purpose” (Skolverket, 2011, p. 12). Teaching postcolonial literature along with postcolonial terminology would make students aware of how a certain language use and structure define a work as postcolonial, in
accordance with this point. For example, how the colonising language remains the prominent mean of writing in former colonies, with the addition of words native to the narrative context (Ashcroft et al., 2002, p. 7).
5.2 The benefits of postcolonial terminology in the Swedish EFL classroom
As stated above, support for using postcolonial literature exists in the Swedish curriculum and syllabus. However, simply presenting the literature to students is not an adequate way of working with the genre. To help students gain meaningful insight by reading postcolonial literature, they must also be taught strategies for analysing and interpreting the texts. In accordance with the English 7 syllabus and its table of Reception, the following points would be satisfied by teaching postcolonial concepts:
Strategies to take in and structure information in larger amounts of text or longer sequences of spoken language.
Strategies for drawing conclusions about the spoken language and texts in terms of attitudes, perspectives, purposes and values, and to understand implied meaning. How oral and written communications in different genres are built up. How
stylistics and rhetorical devices are used for different purposes and how language is used as an instrument to exercise power (Skolverket, 2011, p. 11).
These points all concern attaining knowledge of strategies and structure within communication. The first point is connected to the strategic preparation of students’ reading, as the know-how of what to search for in a text needs to be taught for it to relay any contextual meaning (Hedge, 2000, p. 221). This ties into the goals of the second point, as the students need to be aware of how the implied meaning of postcolonial literature is connected to certain perspectives and cultural values within the text. Lastly, students should be able to identify how literary texts are used as instruments of power. Stylistic choices, such as the Othering of ethnicities, or the refusal to translate certain words to English from a native language are examples of this (Ashcroft et al., 2002, p. 60).
The broadening of students’ perspectives is however not only a required skill in the English 7 syllabus, but also a conclusion that students must be made aware of – the prejudice of their own identity. As said by Bo Lundahl in Engelsk Språkdidaktik the construct of identity brings about the construct of us and them (2012, p. 94). The teaching of an intercultural literary genre thereby brings with it the challenge of making students accept that
other identities than their own exist, and that these are not adversaries. One tool for creating such insight is found in the “matrix of identity”, as presented by Aegerter (1997, p. 147). Another possible approach is the three-phased reader response-centred method of Abdul-Jabbar (2015, p. 230). Intercultural teaching in the Swedish EFL classroom is however inherently challenged by three dilemmas, according to Lundahl (2012). Firstly, the assumption of the existence of differences that are to be bridged by intercultural teaching. Secondly, the assumption that it is easy to discern right from wrong. Thirdly, that all teaching in Swedish schools is guided by the fundamental values of the curriculum, which dictates what is right and what is wrong (Lundahl, 2012, 94).
Considering Lundahl’s identification of inherent problems with teaching intercultural literature in the EFL classroom, one solution might be to introduce students to the postcolonial concepts of binary pairs and Othering. The teaching of literary theory in the classroom is however not without issues. Ellie Chambers and Marshall Gregory identified several difficulties in the book Teaching & Learning English Literature (2012). Teaching literary theory is complex, which leads to the dilemma of either teaching too advanced content or too simplified. Examples of this would be either introducing too many different theories at the same time or mentioning only one favoured theory which attains an undeserved universalist status in the classroom. The latter pitfall is the so called “conversion syndrome”, where a student learns one approach to literary theory and tries to use it universally upon all literature (Chambers & Gregory, 2006, p. 75). The key to successfully teaching literary theory is stated to be the situating of theory side-by-side with representative literature, to demonstrate the strengths and limitations of it in such a way that students can learn when to use it and when not to (Chambers & Gregory, 2006, p. 79). Taking into consideration that these difficulties were found at an undergraduate level, introducing this at an even earlier stage might be considerably more challenging.
What strengths and weaknesses are then inherent in the terminology of binary pairs and Othering? To begin with, binary pairs such as Said’s Occident and Orient only exist as adversaries because of the Occident’s creation and representation of the Orient. By teaching how to recognise apparent opponents in narratives, students are made aware of the existence of two perspectives rather than one dominant. As such, it is a tool well-suited for approaching postcolonial literature, but lacks the nuance required for analysing contexts containing hybridity (Loomba, 2005, p. 145). Recognising Othering teaches students the importance of taking account of all existing perspectives, and not only focusing on the representation of the self so much as the representation of the Other. In combination with each
other, binary pairs and Othering illustrate how the construct of identities and perspectives hinge in equal parts on the constructed self and the representation of an opposing Other.
5.3 The White Tiger in the Swedish EFL classroom
Arvind Adiga’s The White Tiger (2008) has been chosen as a possible practice text to use in the EFL classroom to illustrate the concepts of binary pairs and Othering. As mentioned in the Background, the novel takes place in India and follows the social journey of Balram, from being a boy working in a in a rural village teashop to becoming a cutthroat entrepreneur in a bustling city. Balram’s India is depicted as corrupt and violent, where the democratic elections are rigged and the rich remain rich by exploiting the poor. The nation is described as dark, criminal and immoral, where murder, extortion and prostitution perpetually take place. Taking this into consideration, it could be argued that this text contains inappropriate themes for being used in the classroom. It could also be argued that the use of this text does nothing to challenge the Western depiction of everything Eastern as Other, thereby reinforcing the stereotypes that postcolonial literature seeks to challenge (Lundahl, 2012, p. 99). However, the use of controversial literature with illegal and immoral elements is an introduction of a reality and perspective that is an undeniable part of society, and therefore a necessary subject to broach in the classroom (Lundahl, 2012, p. 101). As for the possible reinforcement of Western stereotypes these are an undeniable consequence of India’s colonial past. Therefore it is important to introduce our students to how the British Empire and the English language once influenced and continues to influence former colonies.
5.3.1 Binary pairs in The White Tiger
Balram’s story contains several binary pairs, some minor and some major. Approaching this text with the EFL classroom in mind, one binary pair that likely would be the easiest for students to discern is that of the two Indias – the India of Darkness and the India of Light (Adiga, 2008, p. 14). This assumption rests on the fact that Light/Darkness is an archetypical example of a binary pair as a literary concept. The Darkness contains the entirety of rural India, where villages such as Balram’s Laxmangarh remain ruled by the upper castes as they always have been, where the elections are rigged by the landlords and the hospitals are empty, unmanned promises made by politicians. In the Darkness, dowries are paid with money intended to pay for education and Balram grows up envying the obvious success of the passing-through bus conductor who wears a uniform. The India of Light is the modern India,
the India of metropolitan cities such as Bangalore and New Delhi that are thought to be the nation’s future. Here start-up tech corporations, malls and government ministers thrive. In the India of Light the upper classes are driven around in airconditioned cars, eating Western food and drinking Western alcohol. Within this binary pair of Darkness and Light, there is no automatic assignation of good or evil, as one might expect. Rather these distinctions separate how the Darkness of rural India still lives in the feudal society of castes and poverty, while the Light of the metropolitan India have achieved the modernity of Western society. Alongside these connotations of the anachronistic Darkness and modern Light, a well-known division is visible: whiteness. In the Darkness, Balram’s only contact with white skin has been other Indians suffering from vitiligo (Adiga, 2008, p. 123). In the India of Light whiteness is an ideal as evident by Mr Ashok’s marriage to an American, but also by the fact that white-skinned, golden haired prostitutes cost more than native Indians (Adiga, 2008, p. 228).
This exemplary binary pair illustrates in what way some things never exist without being compared to each other. The knowledge of two different Indias within the narrative makes the reader aware of two different perspectives, and of the different prerequisites that they are classified by.
5.3.2 Othering in The White Tiger
Continuing with the binary pair of the Indias of Darkness and Light, Balram’s presentation of the two is actively distancing them from one another by Othering them. One such instance is Balram’s admiration of the bus conductor’s khaki uniform, which to him represents the luxury and success that the India of Light represents to someone born and raised in the India of Darkness (Adiga, 2008, p. 31). As Balram later earns a khaki uniform for himself, being a driver for Mr Ashok and moves with him to the India of Light, Balram’s brother cries of happiness.
I thought he was going to bugger me for how abruptly I had left them at the village, but he was overcome with joy – his eyes were full of tears. Someone in his family was going to make it out of the Darkness and into New Delhi! (Adiga, 2008, p. 111)
While the India of Light equals success in the India of Darkness, not every aspect of it is seen as something positive. For example, Balram’s employer Mr Ashok is foreign-educated and kind to Balram, which leads Balram to conclude that his employer lacks the survival instinct of other of the upper classes. Mr Ashok’s humanitarian traits, the “enlightenment” of the India
of Light, becomes the weakness that Balram later exploits to kill his master (Adiga, 2008, p. 142).
The more obvious Othering, however, is that of the India of Light towards the India of Darkness. Those who belong to the upper castes and classes, exemplified by the characters Mr Ashok and Pinky Madam all consider the customs of the Darkness to be peculiar and somewhat barbarous. One example is Mr Ashok’s and Pinky Madam’s second hand-experience of piety as Balram fake-honours shrines dedicated to gods during a drive. These feigned acts of religious awe are accepted without questions by the masters, as excessive faith is expected by someone from the Darkness (Adiga, 2008, p. 90). Another example is Pinky Madam’s screaming at Balram as he scratches his crotch while cooking, berating him for being dirty, both in appearance and habits (Adiga, 2008, p. 146). Balram’s old habit of chewing paan, like his father and brother in his rural village, is a behaviour that Balram is shamed for in the India of Light. Having moved away from the Darkness, Balram starts to distance himself from his origins – refusing himself further crotch-scratching and paan-chewing, starting to brush his teeth with whitening toothpaste (Adiga, 2008, p. 150).
These examples illustrate how perceptions of Others situate status within the Indian society, perpetually dividing traits as something of either Darkness or Light. By presenting this literature in the EFL classroom, students can be made aware of how depictions create perceptions of others, and how these perceptions shape the society they stem from.
6. Conclusion
The introduction of postcolonial literature in the EFL classroom has support in both the curriculum and the English 7 syllabus. The introduction of teaching postcolonial literature fulfils the criteria of the curriculum’s fundamental values, to be used with intention to develop the students’ awareness of democratic and humanitarian values. The genre and its concepts stand in stark contrast to the norms of the Western literary canon. The postcolonial literary genre can be used in the English 7 classroom to introduce marginalised perspectives. The genre exemplifies how history differs depending on sources and situations, perceptions, and representations throughout different literary periods. While this communicative content exists innately in the postcolonial genre, the students must also be given the proper tools to interpret the content.
The introduction of postcolonial literary theory in the classroom is therefore an important tool to ensure that students not only read the literature, but also understand both its
content and structure. The inclusion of binary pairs and Othering are relevant tools to make students aware of how these concepts construct perceptions, and how these perceptions are connected to the contexts behind the literature. The teaching of literary theory is however a challenge, as teaching complex literary theories in a simple way is difficult. To reduce the risks of this happening it is important to present each literary concept as something useful within a certain area of literature, teaching students’ appropriate literary concepts for each text and genre introduced in the classroom (Chambers & Gregory, 2006, p. 79).
Adiga’s The White Tiger (2008) is an example of a postcolonial novel containing the concepts of binary pairs and Othering. Being a postcolonial text due to telling of a postcolonial experience, it is concluded that the theoretical concepts of this study are applicable, and that the text contains examples of binary pairs and Othering. The introduction of this text in the classroom would give students ample opportunity to find examples of how binary pairs and Othering is part of the postcolonial experience. Whether the binary pairs will be the two Indias, rich/poor, Indian/Western or something completely different will tell of how well students have learned to interpret the concepts present within the text.
With this study’s research questions answered, the conclusion is that there is support for teaching postcolonial literature, teaching theoretical concepts such as binary pairs and Othering could be used by students to analyse literature, and The White Tiger (2008) contain these concepts. However, these are all theoretical assessments based on literary analysis. To assess these theories in practice, a future study could perform a field testing of teaching said literature and literary theory, or teachers could be interviewed to investigate if postcolonial theory has been a beneficial addition in the English 7 classroom. As for the choice of text, many different postcolonial novels are viable options to using The White Tiger (2008). Remembering that the postcolonial literary genre is not limited to fiction originating from a former colony makes the possibilities for teaching the postcolonial text inexhaustible.
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