Literature and Colonialism

Paper Summary:

The paper addresses the impact of colonialism on Singapore by examining Victorian children's literature and how it reflected and/or rejected the indigenous cultures of the nation. The paper looks at the historical syllabus of the nation through the Victorian period and attempts to demonstrate the cultural biases that were present in the official and unofficially available children's books of the period.

From the Paper:

"In a post colonial culture it is relatively easy to find the vestiges of the colonial influence upon the cultures of the colonized nations. There are few exceptions, even in the cases were the nation was not colonized but simply associated somehow with a trade rout for an English speaking nation. The challenges of resuscitating the past, and eradicating the potentially negative influences of the often racially driven colonial thought process, are substantial and in many ways this eradication must begin with children. Children often witness the devaluation of their culture, through social discrepancies that repeatedly demonstrate one race's superiority over another but there is no greater affront when the official sources of their education also demonstrate these principles."

Sample of Sources Used:

• Caldwell, John C. "The Delayed Western Fertility Decline: An Examination of English-Speaking Countries." Population and Development Review 25.3 (1999): 479. Questia. 14 Mar. 2007 <http://www.questia.com/PM.qst?a=o&d=5001845962>.
• Carpenter, Humphrey, and Mari Prichard. The Oxford Companion to Children's Literature. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1999. Questia. 14 Mar. 2007 <http://www.questia.com/PM.qst?a=o&d=72084819>.
• Doran, Christine. "Gender Matters in the Singapore Mutiny." SOJOURN: Journal of Social Issues in Southeast Asia 17.1 (2002): 76+. Questia. 14 Mar. 2007 <http://www.questia.com/PM.qst?a=o&d=5002473242>.
• Hunt, Peter, ed. International Companion Encyclopedia of Children's Literature. New York: Routledge, 2004. Questia. 14 Mar. 2007 <http://www.questia.com/PM.qst?a=o&d=108845965>.
• Klein, Gillian. Reading into Racism: Bias in Children's Literature and Learning Materials. London: Routledge, 1990. Questia. 14 Mar. 2007 <http://www.questia.com/PM.qst?a=o&d=103493377>.

More papers on Literature and Colonialism:

• Essay # 31285 : "Native Literature and Colonialism"
• Analytical Essay # 142771 : "Enduring Power Of Colonialism In A Post-Colonial World"
• Analytical Essay # 130187 : "Chinese Literature in the 20th Century"

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