Colonialism, Orientalism and Cultural Imperialism

I selected Slumdog Millionaire for (re)interpretation. I did this for three reasons. First, the representation of Indians by white, Englishmen disturbed me because the representations smack of residual colonialism. Second, the changes in the actor's skin color from the early part of the film to the end of the film serve to orientalize people of color. Third, there appeared to be several layers of cultural imperialism inherent in this film, including inter-India caste conflicts, Hindu and Muslim disputes, and perceived povertiy of India's populace by Westerners.

Now, that I have described my approach to viewing Slumdog I will proceed in defining the three primary concepts based on my understanding of colonialism, orientalism, and cultural imperialism.

Colonialism in this context refers to the domination of India under British colonial rule. In this film, the director, screenwriter, and producers are all white, Englishmen of means. Yet, they are appropriating Indian culture to stage this movie.

Orientalism in this context refers to the objectification of the primary female character, Latika (Freida Pinto). Rather than being soley a feminist perspective, this is infact orientalism on the level with Ingres in Grand Odalisque. Pinto fills the role of the 'other' as an object of the male gaze. Furthermore, Latika's oppressors are portrayed as violent men of color, which seems to be a pretty stable concept of Orientalism.

Cultural imperialism in this context refers to the domination of one religion over another. In this case it is Hindu versus Muslim. There appear to be Indian caste differences played out in the ethnic characteristics of the actors as well. Finally, the urban Indian slums depicted in this movie evoke cultural imperialism as well in regard to a Western gaze.