From the Moral Limits of Personal Interest to the Derogation of Individual Identity: Colonialism and Oppression
From the Moral Limits of Personal Interest to the Derogation of Individual Identity: Colonialism and Oppression

Summary/Abstract: In postcolonialist studies it is often neglected how the correlations between oppressor and oppressed are often more dubious than originally thought of. In our analysis it is attempted to discern limitations in moral and political action as well as the subsequent derogations for individual identity. These limitations for both sides, the oppressor and the oppressed, claim a degree of a problematic allusion of freedom and responsibility over one’s own actions. For example, for Nietzsche, freedom and protection of personal interest come only as consequences of a management of resistance, as different people handle their affairs differently according to their perceptions on their identity. This notion of separation and distinct responsibilities that are assumed according to freedom interferes with our discussion on colonialism and oppression. For the German philosopher, the concept of a human subject presupposes its evolution through a historical and psychological process. Morality or moralities are revelations of the inner insights of cultures, signs and symptoms that disclose certain truths about people’s or communities’ ideals. But even taken in this manner, morality may be considered as a parameter of pressure for action and for assumption over a certain identity. In our paper we are mainly going to approach how this latent moral pressure on identity may be a more critical factor than initially considered as regards human action.

• Details
• Contents