Abrogation:
Abrogation is the act of formally ending a law, agreement, or custom.
Abrogation is a critical concept in postcolonial theory that involves the rejection of
the colonial language, culture, and literary standards imposed by colonizers.
Coined and explored in-depth by theorists like Bill Ashcroft, Gareth Griffiths, and
Helen Tiffin in The Empire Writes Back (1989), abrogation is a key strategy of
linguistic and cultural resistance.
At its core, abrogation refers to the deliberate refusal to accept the legitimacy of
colonial discourse, particularly in language and literature. It challenges the authority
of the colonial "standard" language and denies its assumed superiority over
indigenous or hybrid forms of expression.
Rather than using the colonizer’s language in its "pure" form, postcolonial writers
and speakers reshape it, discard parts of it, or replace it with native languages. This
act disrupts the hierarchy that places English (or other colonial languages) at the
top and indigenous languages at the bottom.
Manifestations of Abrogation:
Abrogation appears in various ways across postcolonial literature:
Linguistic Resistance:
Linguistic resistance refers to the ways individuals or groups push back against
dominant or oppressive language norms, policies, or discourses.
Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o famously abandoned English to write in Gikuyu, arguing that
colonial languages alienate native speakers from their cultural roots. His essay
Decolonising the Mind (1986) advocates linguistic decolonization.
Narrative Structure and Oral Traditions:
Narrative Structure and Oral Traditions refers to the ways stories are organized
and passed down, particularly in cultures that rely on spoken word rather than
written texts.
Chinua Achebe’s Things Fall Apart (1958) includes Igbo proverbs, folktales, and
untranslated words, forcing the reader to engage with indigenous epistemologies.
Stylistic Deviation from Colonial Norms:
Stylistic Deviation from Colonial Norms refers to the ways writers, especially in
postcolonial contexts, break away from the linguistic, literary, and aesthetic
standards imposed by colonial powers.
Salman Rushdie in Midnight’s Children (1981) mixes Hindi, Urdu, and English,
disrupting the purity of standard English and asserting postcolonial identity.
Theoretical Frameworks Supporting Abrogation:
Several postcolonial theorists emphasize the importance of abrogation:
· Bill Ashcroft, Gareth Griffiths, and Helen Tiffin (The Empire Writes Back,
1989):
They describe abrogation as a vital tool in postcolonial discourse that destabilizes
colonial power.
· Frantz Fanon (Black Skin, White Masks, 1952):
Fanon critiques the psychological effects of colonial languages, advocating for the
decolonization of the mind.
· Edward Said (Orientalism, 1978):
While not directly about language, Said’s theory of colonial discourse shows how
abrogation resists Eurocentric knowledge systems.
Challenges and Critiques of Abrogation:
Some argue that rejecting colonial languages limits the reach of postcolonial
literature, as English and French provide global platforms.
Many postcolonial writers continue to use colonial languages, as indigenous
languages may lack publishing infrastructure.
Some critics claim that pure abrogation is unrealistic, as linguistic hybridity is often
inevitable.
Conclusion:
Abrogation is a powerful strategy of resistance that seeks to undermine colonial
dominance in language and literature. While it is often used alongside appropriation,
it remains a crucial aspect of reclaiming indigenous voices and challenging colonial
hegemony. Whether through linguistic shifts, narrative disruptions, or stylistic
innovations, abrogation ensures that postcolonial writers do not simply inherit the
colonizer’s language but actively transform or reject it.
