VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HA NOI UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES FACULTY OF POST-GRADUATE STUDIES ĐỖ PHẠM KHÁNH LINH CIVILIZED COLONIALISM IN THE MOVIE POCAHONTAS (1995) FROM CDA PERSPECTIVE Nghiên cứu về chủ nghĩa thực dân khai hóa văn minh trong bộ phim Pocahontas (1995) theo góc độ phân tích diễn ngôn phê phán M.A THESIS Major: English Linguistics Major code: 8220201.01 Hanoi – 2024 VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HA NOI UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES FACULTY OF POST-GRADUATE STUDIES ĐỖ PHẠM KHÁNH LINH CIVILIZED COLONIALISM IN THE MOVIE POCAHONTAS (1995) FROM CDA PERSPECTIVE Nghiên cứu về chủ nghĩa thực dân khai hóa văn minh trong bộ phim Pocahontas (1995) theo góc độ phân tích diễn ngôn phê phán M.A THESIS Major: English Linguistics Major code: 8220201. Huỳnh Anh Tuấn Hanoi – 2024 AUTHORSHIP I affirm that this thesis represents my original work and has not been submitted for any degree or diploma at this or any other institution of higher learning. To the best of my knowledge, the thesis does not include any content that has been published or written by others, except where proper citation or acknowledgment is provided. Signature: i ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS First and foremost, I would like to express my gratitude to my thesis advisor and supervisor, Dr.
Huynh Anh Tuan, Dean of the Faculty of Post-Graduate Studies at the University of Languages and International Studies. His insightful guidance and unwavering support were instrumental in shaping this research. He provided me with the freedom to explore my own ideas while offering invaluable advice whenever needed. I am also deeply thankful to the experts whose work and insights were crucial to the validation survey for this research project, such as Fairclough, van Dijk, Wodak, Hall, and others for their contributions.
Their passionate participation and input were essential in successfully conducting the survey. Lastly, I want to express my heartfelt gratitude to my parents for their unwavering support and encouragement throughout my academic journey and the process of researching and writing this thesis. Their belief in me has made this achievement possible. Author Linh Do ii ABSTRACT This thesis employs Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA) to examine the depiction of civilized colonialism in Disney's film Pocahontas (1995).
The study investigates two central questions: How are the linguistic representations of the colonized and the colonizers constructed in the film? To what extent do these representations rely on binary oppositions? Adopting a qualitative research design, the analysis scrutinizes the film's dialogue and narrative to elucidate underlying ideological frameworks. The findings show that the linguistic representation of the colonized characters in Pocahontas reflects a complex interplay of cultural identity, incorporating elements such as spirituality and communal values. However, these representations are also marked by pervasive stereotypes that exoticize and oversimplify indigenous speech patterns. In contrast, the language attributed to the colonizers emphasizes authority and dominance, reinforcing notions of cultural superiority, rationality, and progressive values.
The film's discourse has binary oppositions, particularly the disparity between civilized and savage, which function to construct and perpetuate colonial ideologies. These oppositions not only establish hierarchical distinctions based on race and culture but also contribute to the reinforcement of colonial stereotypes. The study underscores the influential role of popular media in disseminating and perpetuating colonialist narratives through linguistic representations. By analyzing Pocahontas through the lens of CDA, this research gives to a deeper understanding of how media representations shape societal perceptions and ideologies, particularly regarding colonialism and its long-standing implications.
iii TABLE OF CONTENTS AUTHORSHIP. iii TABLE OF CONTENTS .iv CHAPTER I: INTRODUCTION. Aim and objectives of the study. Structure of the thesis .4 CHAPTER II: LITERATURE REVIEW .1 Definition of colonialism and its impact on civilized peoples.
History of colonialism in the 17th century as the context of the film Pocahontas. Colonialism in today’s society. Colonialism representation in media. Critical Discourse Analysis.
Definition and key concepts of Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA). Origins and development of CDA. CDA and media texts. Importance of binary oppositions in CDA .10 CHAPTER III: METHODOLOGY .Data collection procedure.
23 CHAPTER IV: FINDINGS AND DISCUSSIONS. Linguistic representations of the colonialized and the colonizers in movie Pocahontas (1995). Binary oppositions in linguistic representations. Summary of findings.
Limitations and suggestions for further research. Rationale It is possible that many people have heard about “civilized colonialism” yet know little about it. Most of the knowledge about this term is from the events and definitions written in history books. Throughout world’s history, a few societies have suffered from colonization when the colonizers imposed their religion, language, economics, and other cultural practices on the colonized region's people and resources.
The political justification for military intervention and colonization was known as the “civilizing mission”. The Western European colonial powers asserted that it was their duty to spread Western civilization to the cultures of the Eastern world, which they viewed as heathen and primitive. The “civilizing” term was the cultural justification for the colonial exploitation in many colonies, then “civilized colonialism” was used to legitimize the colonizers rule over the colonized. Although colonization was ended in theory by national liberation movements in many areas of the world after World War II, colonialism still occurs in today’s society.
Besides colonialism’s long-term effects on political, social, and economic development throughout history, the dominance of the economy, politic and military from the powerful countries can remain without permanent presence in the others. Go (2023) argues that “past colonialism impacts the present, using a variety of terms. She identifies and discusses four such processes and mechanisms: continued colonialism through simple reproduction, the persistence of power through formal and informal institutionalization, path dependent “colonial institutionalism” and colonialism’s archive of meaning.” Therefore, colonialism is still a phrase that is helpful in understanding the upholding of racial hierarchies, masculinist and patriarchal relationships, geographic divisions, and economic disparities since it is a force that persists in the modern world rather than a historical artifact, according to Murrey (2020). Colonialism and language It cannot be denied that language plays an essential part in colonialism.
Language reflects a group’s culture and core values; therefore, culture and language 1 have a close relationship in every part of the world. Taylor (2007) stated, it is the reason why all colonizers tended to impose their languages on indigenous people, considering language as a tool in colonization. The loss of African and American indigenous languages illustrates this phenomenon. Fanon (1959) claimed that a person's basic ontology is structured by language, and speaking a language is equivalent to engaging in a world and embracing a civilization.
Through languages, the colonizers oriented indigenous people to take over their own thoughts, beliefs, and values, even considered the colonizers’ values superior to their own. This process took place invisibly but effectively, since it enabled the colonizers to introduce their ideas and morals through their languages, then gradually change the mind of indigenous people in every aspect of life. It might result in wide acceptance and adoptability of the colonizers’ sovereignty, as well as the weaken identities of the colonized. As long as language serves as a source of power, colonialism will exist.
The movie The 1995 American animated picture “Pocahontas” narrates the tale of Pocahontas's life and the coming of English colonial immigrants from the Virginia Company. It was praised for the animation, and music, but criticized for its plot which is inaccurate to the history. According to Karmakar & Bhadra (2023), Pocahontas as an empowered heroine has had a big influence on subsequent Disney films. Basically, the main characters in the film are divided into two groups: the colonized and the colonizers.
Pocahontas, the daughter of the tribe’s head, represents the colonized in Jamestown, Virginia while Captain John Smith represents the colonizers who came to this land. The two have contrasting ideologies and affiliate with groups that are perceived as opposing each other. Besides Pocahontas, the other native people in Jamestown, such as her father Chief Powhatan and the warrior Kocoum, are also the colonized. They had lived for generations in Jamestown before John Smith and his fellows set their foot on the land.
The colonized and the colonizers diminish each other to dangerous, heartless animals who cannot be trusted. In addition, both groups soon realize their own desires and benefits force them to fight. The colonizers want to own the land that the colonized want to protect, and then they collide. 2 As a language learner and researcher, I believe that I do not only learn the way to use a language with different skills but also learn to understand it.
Thus, I am interested in looking into how a language could change and be changed in a complicated context. In this case, it is the “civilized colonialism” era. I figured out it is reflected in the movie Pocahontas (1995) which is known and loved by a lot of people all around the world. As far as I am concerned, “civilized colonialism” in this classical animated movie is expressed delicately through language, the perspective not so many viewers and learners pay attention to.
From the story in the 17th century reflected in the film, I can take a deeper look from a new perspective into the topic “civilized colonialism” which made up an important part of history and even the present of human beings. This is why I chose CDA as an approach to researching this problem. Aim and objectives of the study This study is aimed at finding out how the civilized colonialism is negotiated linguistically in the movie. The objectives of the study are: a) Analyze how language constructs and reinforces the narrative of civilized colonialism in the film; b) Explore the power relationships manifested through language between colonizers and colonized characters in the film, focusing on how linguistic choices reflect and perpetuate these dynamics.
Research questions The study is supposed to answer the following research questions: 1. How are the colonized and the colonizers represented linguistically in the movie Pocahontas (1995)? 2. To what extent do the linguistic representations of the colonized and the colonizers in Pocahontas (1995) rely on binary oppositions? 1. Scope The scope of this analysis of Pocahontas is confined to verbal aspects that reflect the civilized colonialism in the movie.
Although the movie is based on some real historic events and characters, in this paper, I study only the movie produced by Disney which can be told in a different and more humanistic way than what was 3 written in history books. This study works on the cinematographic reality, not historical reality. Significance This study aimed to answer the questions of how civilized colonialism is expressed/reflected through the movie Pocahontas (1995) through linguistic elements. After the research, the writer hopes to give a deeper look and better understanding of civilized colonialism for the viewers and language learners.
I learn how language is used to build up a conception, an attitude, and a period in the history of human beings. From that point, further research on civilized colonialism or the message the movie gives can be conducted to give a way of critical thinking. Structure of the thesis In this thesis, the structure is organized as follows: - Introduction: This chapter shows an overview of the research topic and research questions. It also offers a succinct synopsis of the thesis framework.
- Literature Review: This section examines existing research related to the topic, highlights gaps in current knowledge, and establishes the theoretical framework for the study. - Methodology: This chapter outlines the research design, methods for data collection, and procedures for data analysis. - Findings and Discussion: This part presents and interprets the research findings in relation to the research question, and discusses the study's limitations. - Conclusion: This part summarizes the main findings, suggests for future research, and offers final reflections on the study.
- References: This section lists all the sources cited throughout the thesis.