Claims that homogenize ‘Third World Literature’ obscure the imperialist-determined fortunes of its producing bourgeoisie

Evidence

It is useful, I think, to raise issues of theoretical accuracy and political responsibility with regard to a cultural theory which either constructs a counter-canonicity based upon the cultural productions of these dependent, mutually competing national bourgeoisies and homogenizes it into a ‘Third World Literature’, or simply throws up its hands and retreats into its poststructuralist ideological location and metropolitan privilege. But then, the very fortunes of these national bourgeoisies, not to speak of their cultural productions, ~ave been determined, on the whole, by that fundamental dialectic of our times which has mediated - to devastating effect - the relationship between imperialism, decolonization and social ism. — Aijaz Ahmad, In Theory, 86

Categorization

• XREF: This is Ahmad’s core critique of homogenizing counter-canonical construction — the same discourse-first move Spivak’s strategic essentialism also risks collapsing into. Directly serves the reader’s tracing of Ahmad against Spivak. — connects to: Third World Literature is a metropolitan fabrication, not a pre-existing category — Aijaz Ahmad, In Theory: Classes, Nations, Literatures, 192; The category ‘Third World Literature’ emerged only when ex-colonial migrants demanded metropolitan middle-class inclusion; The Third World Literature category emerged from postwar metropolitan migration, not from textual accumulation — Aijaz Ahmad, In Theory: Classes, Nations, Literatures, 320 (+4 more)

Broader Connections

• Third World Literature is a metropolitan fabrication, not a pre-existing category #corroborates (0.90) — Aijaz Ahmad, In Theory, 192
• Local oral literatures resist absorption into any unified Third World Literature category #contradicts (0.85) — Aijaz Ahmad, In Theory, 318
• The ‘Third World Literature’ category originated amid socialist retreat and bourgeois-nationalist resurgence. #corroborates (0.85) — Aijaz Ahmad, In Theory, 106
• The Third World Literature category emerged from postwar metropolitan migration, not from textual accumulation #corroborates (0.80) — Aijaz Ahmad, In Theory, 320
• The Third World Literature canon marginalizes texts outside its authorized questions #expands (0.80) — Aijaz Ahmad, In Theory, 211
• The category ‘Third World Literature’ emerged only when ex-colonial migrants demanded metropolitan middle-class inclusion #corroborates (0.78)