The Narrative as a Statement of Identity and History in Julie Dash’s Daughters of the Dust

The predicament of the African-American people is perhaps unique in world history. Theirs is the story of "internal colonialism," a term that I am using slightly more loosely than scholars of the subaltern. The reason for my using this term rests on the fact that the encounter between the cultures of Africa and the new nation, America, created sociological and historical conditions which resemble colonialism and its aftermath post-colonialism. As post-colonialism, in our day, no longer applies solely to the historic concept of imperialism, the process of alienation and ‘othering’ in one way or another can be discussed within this context and within this discourse, since colonialism has generally been regarded as the basis for the disempowerment of a people.