Postcolonial Identity · English Literature

The 'Manichean Allegory', as discussed by Abdul JanMohamed, refers to the colonial tendency to see the world in terms of:

  1. The economic principles of supply and demand governing colonial trade
  2. Absolute binary oppositions such as good/evil, white/black, and civilized/savage
  3. The tripartite Platonic division of the soul into reason, spirit, and appetite
  4. The Marxist historical progression from feudalism through capitalism to socialism
Show answer and explanation

Correct answer: Absolute binary oppositions such as good/evil, white/black, and civilized/savage

JanMohamed argues that colonial discourse is built on a Manichean framework that justifies domination by casting the colonizer as the embodiment of light and virtue, and the colonized as the embodiment of darkness and evil.

Difficulty: Medium Question 6 of 20

Practice all 20 Postcolonial Identity questions

Keep practicing

More Postcolonial Identity questions