Periculture and Postcolonialism. Inside the “Color Purple”

Abstract

This paper is based on the study of postcolonial theories in order to analyze and extend their characteristics, by applying them to Alice Walker’s novel, “The Color Purple”. There have been many approaches to the concept of hybridity, but in this paper, I create a system meant to illustrate different nuances related to the opposition of Self and Others, named the agricultural system. Results show that the opposition between the Self and the Other, translated as the opposition colonized/colonizer, leads to a classification reflecting the association or the dissociation of colliding cultures. This classification is applied to the analysis of Alice Walker’s narrative. The conclusions point out that no culture remains as it is and the only constant thing is the continual changing.