Criticisms of the reality of European Colonialism?

[mb1994]

Analyse Conrad's representation of the colonial experience in the Belgian Congo. What problems could a modern reader face in accepting his criticisms of the reality of European colonialism?

Thats my in class essay i have in a couple of days - and I'm stuck. We're allowed a page of notes and a page of quotes + an introduction. My into goes like this (so far):

Heart of Darkness is a novel based on Joseph Conrad’s own experiences whilst travelling up the Congo River. Conrad found the community was uninformed about the realism of Colonialism so he wrote the novel in 1899. Whilst praising some of Europe’s intentions but through the central character, Marlow, he confessed the execution of it is futile and savage. These views could be because he was colonised by the Russians who exiled him and his parents. Problems for a modern, post colonial reader are Conrad’s anti-feminist views which are displayed by making the women in his story naïve and nameless. Marlow’s lack of empathy and his failure to suggest change about the Native Africans is another problem posed by Conrad.

Can someone please suggest another criticism (and if possible, evidence and quotes and whatnot, but if not I should be able to find some), or fixes to my intro?
Thanks heaps

[Jojapo]

First of all, you'll want to proof read. Sentences like 'Conrad found the community was uninformed about the realism of Colonialism so he wrote the novel in 1899' don't actually make sense. He didn't write it in 1899 because 'the community was uninformed' but because that was the year in which he happened to be.

Secondly, I think you need to focus less on 'anti-feminist' views and more on general racist views - the de-humanising of the Africans etc. However, you also should point out that whilst the book, in a modern day context, appears to be racist overall, at the time, when such views were the socially accepted norm, then it would have been quite radically liberal and anti-racist. The fact that it highlights maltreatment of the people of the Congo by the colonising nation is itself and anti-racist act. The way in which the novel portrays black people - negatively - it could be argued is merely symtemic of the time in which it was written. Also, I'd check out Achebe's views on it http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/An_Image_of_Africa:_Racism_in_Conrad%27s_%22Heart_ of_Darkness%22

[suzdal]

You should check his short story; I think it´s called "An outpost of progress" ; where he also expresses his absolute disenchantment with what in his times was deemed "progress" and describes the appalling conditions of exploitation to whicc the local populations was subjected: classical imperalism, from around 1880 to the twenties of the next century; wasn´t as benign as many historians have recently led us to believe. On the other hand, the good-for-nothing characters of the short story
( as well as; in a different sense; Kurtz ) are a far cry from being dignifed representatives of the heroes who had the "white man´s burden" on their backs.

[MANICHAEAN]

You may get alternative related perspectives by reading the following two books by Graham Greene:
1. "Journey Without Maps", based upon the author's 350 mile walk through the interior of Liberia in 1935. He aim was to leave civilisation & find Conrad's "heart of darkness" in Africa? No sexual hangups, as he frequented a number of village brothels & drank nothing but whiskey the entire trip. Related or not, was his illness halfway through the trip where he made that startling discovery that he had a passionate interest in living.
2. "A Burnt Out Case", where a famous architect, the victim of depressing indifference to art, sex & pleasure choses to live in a Congo leper village. It is a study of the relationship of suffering to wholeness and he is diagonised by the local doctor as the mental equivalent of a leper who has gone through the stage of mutilation.
On a lighter note, my own take as an Englishman working overseas in former colonies in Africa, Asia & the West Indies is that the Colonial Experience was not all a one sided exercise in taking without giving. Apart from the unifying experience of learning the English language, understanding the principles implicit in the noble game of cricket & appreciating the fusion of hot water & tea leaves, today's indiginous inhabitants looked back with a certain fondness to days of Empire. As explained to me many times by both Nigerian, Ugandan & Jamacian indigines; in those halcyon days days, order prevailed, the infrastructure was maintained, the currency was stable & standards were arguably better.

[ennison]

Sven Linquist's text "Exterminate All The Brutes" will give you useful background material.
The main problem that most modern readers of Conrad have is they they are not very good readers. Many are sentimental shallow bleedin' heart liberals who would expect Conrad to express an opinion on everything in total concordance with their own at all times or else they'd say he aint no good. The reference to his attitude to women in "Heart of Darkness" is simply ridiculous. It's like saying, "There are no Burmese in the story so he must have hated the Burmese." Personally I've known a lot of airhead females as well as lots of clever ones - so what