A small place by Jamaican Kincaid

The balance of power:

Understanding white dominance in

A small place by Jamaican Kincaid

In Jamaica Kincaid’s A small place, a daring mirror is held up not only to the former colonizer and the white Western tourist but also to Antigua’s corrupt government, which, according to the author, has merely switched places with the oppressor after independence. Kincaid does not hold back on colonialism, post-colonialism, or neo-colonialism. The text provides insight into the writer’s challenging views and feelings of her native country Antigua. Kincaid addresses the white tourist as “you,” thus adopting the second-person perspective, and forces the tourist to look at their role in a tourism industry that brings little benefit to the Antiguan population. The way Kincaid does the othering of white dominance creates an uncomfortable feeling to those who feel addressed. Her disdain for the behavior of the white tourist who values ​​pleasure above humanity is emphasized through derogatory words: “You see an incredibly unattractive, fat pastrylike- fleshed woman enjoying a walk on the beautiful sand” (Kincaid 14-15). Kincaid makes it clear that the tourist pollutes the beautiful environment with her presence and therefore does not belong there. A small place is written from the outside in; Kincaid gives the reader a historical view of Antigua, and in the second part of the book, she becomes more personal.  In this paper, I examine the consequences of colonialism, post-colonialism, and the imposed neo-colonialism that keeps the Antiguan population trapped in a destructive circle that prevents it from reaching full maturity. Subsequently, I assess the consequences of the psychological and visible legacy of colonialism, post-colonialism, and contemporary neo-colonialism.

By portraying the white tourist as ignorant, Kincaid gives the reader a different story than the one that is always told by the Western world and believed by those who have no idea what lies behind Antigua’s splendor. With this narrative, the tourist fulfills two roles: that of white dominator and that of the privileged foreigner for whom the tourist industry and the government are exploiting the local community. The claims, “You might say, what a beautiful island Antigua is—More beautiful than any other island” (Kincaid 1) and, “The color of the water is navy blue—Oh what a beauty, oh what a beauty’’ (Kincaid 14) describe the tourist excitement for beautiful Antigua. However, as the journey continues, a slight feeling of discomfort emerges when the unavoidable neglect of the school is visible: “You pass a building sitting in a sea of dust…It’s some latrines for people just passing by, but when you look again …. has written on it Pigott’s school” (Kincaid 7). However, this feeling of discomfort is quickly repressed. Kincaid’s somewhat sarcastic tone towards the tourist, the questioning, and the vital information she gives about healthcare—“Will you be comforted to know that the hospital is staffed with doctors that no Antiguan trusts…..?” (Kincaid 7)— could imply that the tourist does see what is going and should acknowledge that education and healthcare are important for the developments of every young nation yet chooses to ignore it for the sake of pleasure. A behavior from the colonial period where economic gain prevailed instead of humanity; this colonial practice of oppression led to poverty throughout the post-colonial period and beyond.

The trail of poverty, oppression, and degeneration is symbolized in the demise of the public library, which Kincaid describes on several occasions. The writer expresses her displeasure about the state of the library that was destroyed by an earthquake: “This building was damaged in the earthquake of 1974. Repairs are pending” (Kincaid 8). After decades, the building is still in a dilapidated state. The library is a symbol of knowledge but is also evidence of Western dominance: “The library is one of those splendid buildings from colonial times [;] [a] splendid old sign from colonial times” (Kincaid 9). This statement offers a clear idea of how the former colonizer left the country. Kincaid mourns the loss of the library but simultaneously reminds the white tourist that although the people of Antigua were given knowledge, that knowledge came with a price: “I met the world through England, and if the world wanted to meet me, it would have do so through England” (Kincaid 39). With the written word, the colonizer created laws and rules equal to those of England, erasing everything that reminded the colonized of their background and cultural identity.

Kincaid fiercely points out to the white tourist why the erasure of a people’s cultural identity provokes anger: “They don’t seem to know that this empire business was all wrong…at least, wear a sackcloth and ashes…the wrongs committed’’ (Kincaid 24); these accusation that  wrongdoings are being trivialized seems difficult for many descendants to stomach. The writer’s pain is evident throughout the book: “But nothing can erase my rage—not an apology….not the death of the criminal” (Kincaid 37). The pain and loss of the ancestors lie deep, and the search for a lost cultural identity keeps the minds busy. About the identity of enslaved and other peoples that the West has colonized, Stuart Hall says: “The internal traumas of identity which are the consequence of colonization and enslavement. That is to say, not just the external processes and pressures of exploitation…which is a profound misrecognition of one’s own identity” (Hall 10). The clarity that this statement gives on cultural identities, is the devastating impact when a people’s cultural uniqueness is erased. Kincaid made this misrecognition of identity known: “Even if I came from people who were living like monkeys in trees, it was better to be…what I became after I met you” (Kincaid 43).  Formerly colonized peoples have the irrepressible desire to belong somewhere, to be part of a group that can indicate exactly where they come from and thus having the ability to trace back their exact genealogy.

Stuart Hall argues that Britons know what it is like to be English because the meanings given to national customs are passed on as national culture which are the cultural representation of the country. Colonized people, especially those of African descent, had nothing of significance to pass on because it was erased. Hence, they have a limited system of cultural representation. Cultural customs are essential for peoples to feel grounded and proud. Without them, many feel displaced and lost, as Lois Tyson explains: “Ex-colonials were often left with a psychological ‘inheritance’ of a negative self-image and alienation from their own indigenous culture’’(Tyson 5). This psychological inheritance seems to continue in Antigua as Kincaid unfolds in the second part of the book. The author describes the consequences of this psychological inheritance; that even after freedom of slavery and independence, most former colonized nations cannot govern themselves.

At page 40 of the book, Kincaid informs the tourist in a pedantic manner about the consequences of psychological inheritance: “Have you ever wondered to yourself why it is that all people like me seem to have learned from you is how to imprison .. murder… each other, how to govern badly…take the wealth…place it to Swiss bank account?” (Kincaid 40). With this charge, Kincaid holds England—the former colonizer—responsible for the misdeeds committed by current the government leaders. This serious allegations that Kincaid makes about the government must be analyzed critically, but before the atrocities are put under a magnifying glass, it should be noted that Kincaid adopts the first perspective in her narrative: “And so you can imagine how I feel” (Kincaid 44). This tone continues till the end and makes it clear that Kincaid takes the wrongdoing of the government leaders personally. She does not do so  to approve the actions of the colonizer; on the contrary, about the ruling of the country, she claims the following: “But then again, perhaps as you observe the debacle in which I now exist, the utter ruin that I say is my life…. you had always felt people like me cannot run things” (Kincaid 42), both parties, the former colonizer and the government  are held accountable. Kincaid’s accusations seem justified according to the documentary Life and Debt by Stephanie Black. The documentary maker who got inspired by Kincaid’s novel—has done research in several countries, such as Jamaica, which have a similar historical background to Antigua’s and are also dealing with corruption, mismanagement, and poverty in the post-colonial era. Black shows that former colonies usually do not have the knowledge nor the support to manage their land after the colonizer leaves. In Antigua, when the British said goodbye: “Well, I wash my hands of all of you, I am leaving now,’’ and you leave and from afar you watch as we do to ourselves the very things you used to do to us’’ (Kincaid 42), the oppressed became the oppressor of their own people, which may indicate a psychological inheritance and the impossibility of breaking the circle of abuse when Kincaid claims that: “The people in a small place cannot see themselves in a larger picture, they cannot see that they might be part of a chain of something, anything” (Kincaid 10). This disconnection of Antigua’s population could be the reason why the government does not consider it necessary to fulfill its duty. The above factors make former colonies such as Antigua vulnerable to outside forces because there is no unity.

Stephanie Black’s documentary accurately portrays the effects of these outside forces, especially when these countries are in need of finances and turn to European world banks for loans. In the documentary, the former prime minister of Jamaica, Michael Manly, explains that countries did not have the financial strength to make it on their own after independence. They needed time to learn, which was not given. Hence, they found themselves in financial debt. Their only solution was to borrow money from the World Bank, which is under the protection of the International Monetary Funds (IMF). The IMF was founded by Western powers such as the USA, UK, and Germany during World War 2, to save countries from financial crises after the war (Wolff 79). However, IMF has strict rules for developing countries such as : “Spending cuts primarily targeted education and health care” (Wolff 344) rules that often have disastrous consequences on ordinary people who were already poor. Hence, the deterioration of the public library and hospital in A Small Place (Kincaid 8).  IMF always give the solution of a free market through globalization, the benefits however, turned out to be one-sided: “Products from all over the world now flowed freely into these countries (Wolff 356).Like Kincaid pointed out: “When you sit down to eat your delicious meal, it’s better that you don’t know that most of what you are eating came off a plane from Miami” (Kincaid 16); with such practices, local merchants are being cheated out of fair competition, which can lead to bankruptcy. Government leaders become dependent and get involved in illegal activities: “In Antigua, all the ways there are to acquire money are bad ways—It is no secret that a minister is involved in drug trafficking” (Kincaid 69). The money acquired with drug trafficking finds its way to a Swiss bank, a bank in the West: “These offshore banks are popular in the West Indies… Tourism itself is more important (Kincaid69)This, shows how ironic it is that the money eventually falls back into the hands of white domination. Although the country earns with tourism, the local population does not benefit from it. Antigua’s people are being recolonized, this time, by neo-colonialism—a power that prevents Antigua from reaching full maturity.

In conclusion, the radical way in which Kincaid exposes the unequal balance of power between the former colonizer and the colonized will undoubtedly make white readers uncomfortable and possibly label the book as angry. It must be admitted that Kincaid spares no one: everyone—the white tourist who is being othered, the corrupted government—is scrutinized concerning their rotten practices. At times, Kincaid is struggling with her love for Antigua, perhaps because she writes from the outside, and she too feels disconnected from her former compatriots. Kincaid manages to evoke a sense of impotence if the readers put themself in the shoes of Antigua’s local people instead of believing a one-sided story. They will understand how the great powers are still undermining former colonies and thus preventing them from reaching full maturity. Colonialism is not over; it just has a different name: neo-colonialism.

Works Cited

Black, Stephanie. “Life and debt. [Documentary].” Jamaica: Tuff Gong Pictures Production (2001).

Hall, Stuart. “Negotiating Caribbean identities.” New left review (1995): 3-3.

Kincaid, Jamaica. A small place. New York, Farrar, Straus, and Giroux, 1988.

Tyson, Lois. Critical theory today: A user-friendly guide. Routledge, 2014.

Wolff, Ernst. Pillaging the world: the history and politics of the IMF. Tectum Wissenschaftsverlag, 2014