“Cross-Pollination: Ecocriticism, Zoocriticism, Postcolonialism” by Aarthi Vadde: Summary and Critique

Introduction: “Cross-Pollination: Ecocriticism, Zoocriticism, Postcolonialism” by Aarthi Vadde

“Cross-Pollination: Ecocriticism, Zoocriticism, Postcolonialism” by Aarthi Vadde first appeared in the Contemporary Literature journal, Volume 52, Number 3, in the Fall of 2011. Published by the University of Wisconsin Press, this review article highlights the intersection of critical literary methodologies, particularly postcolonial ecocriticism and zoocriticism. These fields explore the environmental and non-human dimensions within postcolonial literature, addressing issues such as colonialism’s impact on the environment and animals. Vadde’s review emphasizes the balance between aesthetics and advocacy in literature, particularly focusing on how literature can serve as a symbolic tool for material change. This cross-pollination of ecocriticism and zoocriticism with postcolonial theory expands the scope of literary criticism, urging scholars to consider environmental justice, animal studies, and the complexities of global power relations. The importance of this article lies in its nuanced examination of these growing fields and its contribution to the evolving discourse in literary theory

Summary of “Cross-Pollination: Ecocriticism, Zoocriticism, Postcolonialism” by Aarthi Vadde

• Introduction to Postcolonial Ecocriticism
  • Vadde’s article reviews Postcolonial Ecocriticism: Literature, Animals, Environment by Graham Huggan and Helen Tiffin, which explores the connection between postcolonial studies and ecocriticism.
  • Postcolonial ecocriticism examines how colonial histories and power dynamics impact environmental degradation and animal exploitation. Vadde highlights the field’s focus on “the specifically environmental dimensions of literary works,” especially how environmental issues intersect with postcolonial themes like resource exploitation and land dispossession.
  • Huggan and Tiffin are praised for introducing readers to postcolonial ecocriticism without oversimplifying complex debates: “They do not gloss over or simplify debates among ecocritics but map them in their complexity.”
• Focus on Nonhuman Elements
  • Vadde points out the increasing focus on nonhuman entities, such as animals and landscapes, in postcolonial literature. This broadens the critique of colonialism to include environmental justice and animal rights.
  • The authors argue that “renewed pressure on the nature/culture and human/animal binaries” challenges imperial and colonial structures of domination.
  • Huggan and Tiffin use literary examples, including works by V. S. Naipaul, Arundhati Roy, and J. M. Coetzee, to show how postcolonial literature addresses environmental crises and their impact on marginalized populations.
• Introduction of Zoocriticism
  • Vadde highlights the emergence of zoocriticism, a field rooted in animal studies, which examines animals’ roles in literature and colonial narratives. Zoocriticism and ecocriticism are brought together in this volume to analyze how literary representations of animals and nature contribute to postcolonial critique.
  • The authors position zoocriticism as “an alien term to most literary scholars,” but one that holds potential for deepening the critique of colonialism by challenging “the human/animal binary which defined Enlightenment discourses of civilization.”
• Development and Environmental Justice
  • In the first part of the volume, Huggan and Tiffin explore the theme of “development,” a term often tied to neocolonial exploitation. Vadde references the use of Ken Saro-Wiwa’s and Arundhati Roy’s works as powerful examples of environmental justice: “Saro-Wiwa and Roy are not ecocritics… They are writer-activists whose work makes use of literary and rhetorical tropes on behalf of embattled groups.”
  • The chapter also introduces Pacific Rim literature, focusing on the impact of nuclear power and industrialization on indigenous communities. These texts highlight the “toxic discourse” surrounding environmental degradation, colonial development, and global capitalism.
• Pastoral and Entitlement
  • Vadde examines the section on “entitlement,” where the authors use pastoral as a literary mode to discuss postcolonial and indigenous subjects’ struggles with legal and affective connections to land. Huggan and Tiffin argue that entitlement becomes “an ontological category of belonging instead of a juridical category of rights to possession.”
  • Postcolonial writers like Judith Wright and J. M. Coetzee challenge the idealized pastoral vision by exposing the violence and dispossession that underpins colonial land claims.
• Shift to Zoocriticism and Animal Studies
  • In the second part of the volume, the focus shifts to zoocriticism, where Huggan and Tiffin analyze how animals have been portrayed in postcolonial literature.
  • Vadde notes how the authors return to Heart of Darkness to discuss the absence of elephants in a novella dominated by ivory, while using this as an opportunity to critique “European masculinity and imperial order.”
  • Zoocriticism also examines the moral and philosophical questions of speciesism and how animal-centered readings “challenge the foundational claims of imperialism.”
• Concluding Reflections
  • The article concludes by reflecting on the posthuman turn in postcolonial ecocriticism, where scientific advancements and technological narratives blur the line between human and nonhuman entities.
  • Huggan and Tiffin’s work is positioned as a groundbreaking contribution to postcolonial studies, introducing “crossing, and refining the critical methods that promise to chart the postcolonial world through its posthuman dimensions.”

Literary Terms/Concepts in “Cross-Pollination: Ecocriticism, Zoocriticism, Postcolonialism” by Aarthi Vadde

Literary Term/Concept	Explanation	Context/Usage in the Article
Ecocriticism	A literary theory focusing on the relationship between literature and the natural environment, often addressing environmental crises.	Vadde discusses how postcolonial ecocriticism directs attention to “the environmental dimensions of literary works” and examines environmental justice.
Zoocriticism	A critical approach that analyzes the representation of animals in literature, often in relation to ethical, philosophical, and cultural issues.	Zoocriticism is introduced as a newer field that challenges “the human/animal binary” in postcolonial critique.
Postcolonialism	A theoretical framework that examines the effects of colonialism on cultures and societies, particularly focusing on power, identity, and inequality.	The article connects postcolonialism with environmental concerns, illustrating how “postcolonial critique” applies to environmental and animal issues.
Pastoral	A literary mode that idealizes rural life and landscapes, often contrasting them with urban or industrial settings.	In the discussion of “Entitlement,” pastoral is used to explore the tension between “affective connections to land and possession of it.”
Development	In postcolonial studies, this refers to the concept of economic and social development often tied to neocolonial exploitation and inequities.	Huggan and Tiffin analyze works like those of Ken Saro-Wiwa to critique “Western development schemes” as perpetuating neocolonial orders.
Entitlement	A concept tied to claims of land ownership, particularly in postcolonial contexts, where indigenous rights are often overlooked or dispossessed.	Vadde notes that entitlement in postcolonial ecocriticism is framed as “an ontological category of belonging” rather than a legal right to possession.
Anthropocentrism	The belief that human beings are the most important entity in the universe, often at the expense of non-human life and environments.	Zoocriticism challenges anthropocentrism by decentering humans and focusing on the “nonhuman elements” in literature.
Toxic Discourse	A term used to describe environmental degradation, pollution, and its effects on marginalized populations in literature.	Vadde discusses “toxic discourse” in Pacific Rim literature, where nuclear contamination and industrial pollution are critiqued.
Speciesism	Discrimination against nonhuman animals based on the belief that humans are superior.	In zoocriticism, speciesism is critiqued as part of the “human/animal binary” that justifies colonial exploitation.
Posthumanism	A critical theory that questions the centrality of humans, exploring the intersections between humans, animals, and technology.	Huggan and Tiffin’s “After Nature” explores “posthuman dimensions,” including genetic technologies and the erosion of human/nonhuman boundaries.
Imperial Privilege	The advantages and power held by colonial powers, often maintained through binaries like nature/culture and human/animal.	Postcolonial ecocriticism aims to challenge “imperial privilege” by critiquing these binaries and their role in colonial oppression.

Contribution of “Cross-Pollination: Ecocriticism, Zoocriticism, Postcolonialism” by Aarthi Vadde to Literary Theory/Theories

1. Expansion of Postcolonial Criticism into Environmental Concerns
   Aarthi Vadde’s article highlights the expansion of postcolonial criticism into ecocriticism, emphasizing how colonialism is not only about cultural and political domination but also environmental exploitation. The article stresses that postcolonial ecocriticism brings to light the “specifically environmental dimensions of literary works,” focusing on how colonial histories have shaped environmental degradation, resource depletion, and unequal distribution of environmental benefits and harms. This expansion challenges traditional postcolonial studies by connecting imperialism with ecological crises, thus broadening the scope of postcolonial critique.
2. Bridging Ecocriticism and Zoocriticism
   Vadde’s review underscores how Graham Huggan and Helen Tiffin’s work brings together two critical fields—ecocriticism and the emerging field of zoocriticism—into postcolonial discourse. By integrating zoocriticism, which focuses on animal studies and the human-animal divide, postcolonial critique gains a new lens through which to understand the imperial ideologies that justify the subjugation of both animals and colonized people. As Vadde notes, Huggan and Tiffin emphasize the breakdown of “the human/animal binaries that facilitate imperial privilege and colonial dispossession.” This contribution pushes literary theory toward a more inclusive and interdisciplinary understanding of postcolonialism, incorporating ethical and philosophical questions about human-animal relationships.
3. Critique of Development and Neocolonialism
   The article introduces the concept of development as a critical term within postcolonial ecocriticism, analyzing how Western development projects often continue the legacies of colonial exploitation. Vadde points out that postcolonial writers such as Ken Saro-Wiwa and Arundhati Roy critique “Western expertise that fails to consult local knowledge bases,” highlighting the neocolonial forces that perpetuate environmental injustice. This contribution situates postcolonial critique within contemporary global politics, where ecological and economic exploitation are intertwined.
4. Introducing Pastoral as a Mode of Critiquing Entitlement
   Another key contribution of Vadde’s article is its analysis of the pastoral mode in relation to postcolonial entitlement and belonging. By engaging with works like Judith Wright’s and J. M. Coetzee’s, Huggan and Tiffin use pastoral to explore “the suppressed violence that helped make its peaceful visions possible.” Vadde’s review emphasizes that pastoral literature, often seen as idyllic, reveals the darker history of colonial land dispossession and legal claims over indigenous territories. This approach offers a fresh perspective on pastoral literature, connecting it to postcolonial critiques of entitlement and land rights.
5. Posthumanism and its Place in Postcolonial Ecocriticism
   One of the most forward-looking contributions discussed by Vadde is the introduction of posthumanism within postcolonial ecocriticism. Vadde highlights Huggan and Tiffin’s focus on “the erosion of ideological distinctions between the human and the nonhuman” in a posthuman world, where scientific advancements such as genetic engineering blur the boundaries between species. This posthuman turn pushes postcolonial theory to consider not just human subjects but the broader implications of technological and environmental changes, offering new avenues for critique beyond traditional human-centered narratives.
6. Emphasis on the Role of Aesthetic Practices in Activism
   Huggan and Tiffin, as highlighted by Vadde, argue that aesthetic practices in literature serve as a form of social and political activism. Their approach “preserves the aesthetic function of the literary text while drawing attention to its social and political usefulness.” This contribution emphasizes the dual role of literature in postcolonial ecocriticism: as a medium of artistic expression and as a tool for advocating for environmental and social justice. It reflects a growing trend in literary theory where form and content are seen as intertwined, with aesthetics playing a key role in challenging colonial narratives and advocating for material change.

Examples of Critiques Through “Cross-Pollination: Ecocriticism, Zoocriticism, Postcolonialism” by Aarthi Vadde

Literary Work	Critique through Ecocriticism/Zoocriticism	Reference from the Article
Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad	The critique focuses on the absence of elephants in a novella dominated by ivory, highlighting how the animalization of Africans and the exploitation of animals symbolize colonial power.	Vadde notes how “the complete absence of elephants in a novella where ivory is nonetheless ubiquitous” is significant.
The White Bone by Barbara Gowdy	Gowdy’s novel is critiqued for its interspecies perspective, particularly through the narrative techniques that give voice to elephant protagonists. The novel challenges traditional human-centered narratives.	“Gowdy’s techniques include lexical shifts… engaging in a form of interspecies translation.”
Not Wanted on the Voyage by Timothy Findley	This novel rewrites the biblical tale of Noah’s Ark, critiquing patriarchal and anthropocentric power structures. It reexamines the division between man, woman, and animal.	Vadde highlights how the novel “instantiated patriarchal power and the strict division of man, woman, and animal.”
The Enigma of Arrival by V. S. Naipaul	Naipaul’s memoir contrasts romanticized rural pastoral imagery with the alienation of colonial labor, revealing the exploitation behind the pastoral landscape.	Vadde references the “alienated colonial labor that contributes to the garden’s beauty but lacks any legal title to it.”

Criticism Against “Cross-Pollination: Ecocriticism, Zoocriticism, Postcolonialism” by Aarthi Vadde

• Limited Exploration of Zoocriticism
  While Vadde introduces zoocriticism as a critical method, the article acknowledges that its intersection with postcolonial critique is relatively underdeveloped. Zoocriticism is described as having a “thinner” connection to postcolonial studies compared to ecocriticism, which may limit its depth in addressing colonial and postcolonial issues.
• Ambiguity in Section Titles
  Vadde critiques the organizational structure of the work, particularly the inconsistency in chapter titles. For instance, the division between “Postcolonialism and the Environment” and “Zoocriticism and the Postcolonial” creates confusion. Vadde remarks that the parallelism, or lack thereof, “creates unnecessary ambiguity for a study that otherwise makes its intent clear.”
• Underdeveloped Connection Between Zoocriticism and Human Oppression
  Although zoocriticism challenges speciesism and anthropocentrism, Vadde suggests that Huggan and Tiffin’s attempt to connect these critiques to human racial and gender oppression is not fully realized. The quickness with which the authors move through different forms of oppression, such as speciesism, racism, and colonialism, “does little to substantiate their claim.”
• Inconsistent Application of Pastoral Critique
  Vadde finds the connection between entitlement and the pastoral mode somewhat tenuous, especially in the way pastoral is used to critique postcolonial land ownership. While the analysis eventually makes sense, the initial link “at first… felt tenuous,” suggesting a more robust connection could have been established.
• Lack of Engagement with Postcolonial Eco-Materialism
  The article notes that Huggan and Tiffin’s work distances itself from postcolonial eco-materialism, which critiques global capitalism alongside colonialism. Vadde comments that the volume’s approach “does not quite join with postcolonial eco-materialism,” potentially missing a stronger critique of economic exploitation in a globalized world.

Representative Quotations from “Cross-Pollination: Ecocriticism, Zoocriticism, Postcolonialism” by Aarthi Vadde with Explanation

Quotation	Explanation
“Postcolonial ecocriticism maintains these salutary features of the postcolonial by directing our attention to the specifically environmental dimensions of literary works.”	This quotation highlights the key focus of postcolonial ecocriticism, which combines environmental concerns with postcolonial theory to explore the ecological impacts of colonialism.
“They do not gloss over or simplify debates among ecocritics but map them in their complexity and often in their impasses.”	Vadde praises Huggan and Tiffin for handling complex debates within ecocriticism, suggesting their work respects the theoretical depth of the field without oversimplification.
“Renewed pressure on the nature/culture and human/animal binaries that facilitate imperial privilege and colonial dispossession.”	This quotation explains how postcolonial ecocriticism and zoocriticism challenge the traditional binaries that have historically justified imperialism and colonial exploitation.
“Zoocriticism traces its roots to animal studies, a formation that draws on philosophy, zoology, and religion.”	Vadde introduces the relatively new field of zoocriticism, explaining its interdisciplinary origins and how it interacts with postcolonial literary critique.
“Saro-Wiwa and Roy are not ecocritics… They are writer-activists whose work makes use of literary and rhetorical tropes on behalf of embattled groups.”	This quotation shows how postcolonial ecocriticism connects with activist writing, especially the work of environmental justice writers like Ken Saro-Wiwa and Arundhati Roy.
“Entitlement as an ontological category of belonging instead of a juridical category of rights to possession.”	Vadde discusses the concept of entitlement, emphasizing its focus on emotional and cultural belonging to land, rather than legal claims, in postcolonial critique.
“Pastoral’s constitutive ironies reveal the suppressed violence that helped make its peaceful visions possible.”	This quotation critiques the pastoral genre, pointing out how colonial violence is often hidden beneath the idyllic, peaceful representations of rural life in literature.
“The posthuman world where ‘posthuman’ designates an ‘erosion of ideological distinctions between the human and the nonhuman.'”	Vadde references the posthuman turn in postcolonial ecocriticism, where boundaries between humans and non-humans are blurred by technological and scientific advancements.
“Interspecies empathy… asks what counts as a credible form of affection in human society.”	This quotation from the zoocriticism section explores the emotional and empathetic dimensions of human-animal relationships, challenging traditional views of affection and agency.
“Postcolonial ecocriticism… sets out symbolic guidelines for the material transformation of the world.”	Vadde emphasizes how postcolonial ecocriticism is not just a theoretical field but also proposes actionable ways to change the world, linking literature to activism and advocacy.

Suggested Readings: “Cross-Pollination: Ecocriticism, Zoocriticism, Postcolonialism” by Aarthi Vadde

1. VADDE, AARTHI. “Cross-Pollination: Ecocriticism, Zoocriticism, Postcolonialism.” Contemporary Literature, vol. 52, no. 3, 2011, pp. 565–73. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/41472508. Accessed 21 Oct. 2024.
2. “Front Matter.” Contemporary Literature, vol. 52, no. 3, 2011. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/41472501. Accessed 21 Oct. 2024.
3. Oliver Coates. “Hubert Ogunde’s Strike and Hunger and the 1945 General Strike in Lagos: Labor and Reciprocity in the Kingdom of Ọba Yéjídé.” Research in African Literatures, vol. 48, no. 2, 2017, pp. 166–84. JSTOR, https://doi.org/10.2979/reseafrilite.48.2.12. Accessed 21 Oct. 2024.
4. Marzec, Robert P. “SPEAKING BEFORE THE ENVIRONMENT: MODERN FICTION AND THE ECOLOGICAL.” Modern Fiction Studies, vol. 55, no. 3, 2009, pp. 419–42. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/26287365. Accessed 21 Oct. 2024.