ABSTRACT
However, rebellion does not simply follow upon this knowledge of colonial duplicity. Caliban curses Prospero, and yet cannot revolt
outright. He tells himself that ‘he must obey’ because Prospero’s ‘art is of such power’ that it would control his mother’s god Setebos. Prospero’s continuing power lies not in his ability to fool Caliban or Ariel, but in the threat of violence:
(The Tempest, I, ii, 294-296) What does it take for colonial subjects to move from alienation to revolution, from a recognition of injustice to resistance? What are the dynamics of anti-colonial consciousness and revolt? Since no pre-colonial cultures, processes of colonisation or colonised subjects are identical, can we even begin to speak about resistance in general or global terms? Historically speaking, anti-colonial resistances have taken many forms, and they have drawn upon a wide variety of resources. They have inspired one another, but also debated with each other about the nature of colonial authority and how best it should be challenged. In each context, there have been sharp differences between the diverse groups within a ‘colonised’ population; even where they have managed to come together under the sweep of a particular movement, they have clashed at different points both before and after colonial rule has been formally dismantled.
