ABSTRACT
The introduction recapitulates the conclusions of the prologue—concerning the ongoing significance of colonialism—before turning to a critique of some dominant views in postcolonial theory today. This critique focuses on one introductory work (Leela Gandhi’s Postcolonial Theory: A Critical Introduction) and one work considered a paradigm of high theory (Edward Said’s Orientalism). Specifically, Hogan argues that hegemonic postcolonial theory adopts questionable strategies of interpretation, over-emphasizes culture at the expense of more economic and political factors in colonialism, and, what is most important, virtually sets aside epistemic criteria in discussing (and criticizing) “knowledge.” In the final section of the introduction, Hogan gives an overview of the book’s four chapters and afterword.
