Technical Writing Through a Postcolonial

Perspective
Krystiana Davis
Dr. Shelley Thomas
Issues in Professional and Technical Writing
12 December, 2021
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Introduction should be page 1

Table of Contents
Introduction 2
Postcolonial Discourse
What is Postcolonial Discourse? 3
What is Colonization? 3
Imperialism v. Colonialism 3
Methodology
Content Analysis 4
Results
History of Technical Writing 4
Predominantly White Industry 5
Conclusion 6
Works Cited 7
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Introduction
As has been made apparent by scholars throughout time, de ning technical writing is rather di cult,
but one commonality is that of instruction— more speci cally the act of information distribution.
Some of the rst forms of technical information distribution or instruction come from hieroglyphics.
According to scholars, despite the discovery of Egyptian hieroglyphics in Africa from the fourth
century BCE, Africa’s contributions to technical writing have gone largely unnoticed. People from this
time used hieroglyphics to explain hunting and religious rituals in order to transfer instruction on how
to perform these activities to coming generations. However, when we look to de ne technical writing
and study the history, the majority of our information comes from Western examples based on
Euro-centric forms of education. Source(s)?

For example, searching online for the “oldest form of technical writing in the world” results in several
of the rst few sources de ning the works of Aristotle as the rst example of technical writing. This is
despite the fact that we have evidence of ancient forms of technical writing from pre-colonial
communities that existed at the same time. We understand Aristotle as technical but Egyptian written
language as non-technical despite the fact that both serve the same informative purpose.

Through the postcolonial perspective, one could argue that the reason we understand Aristotle as a
technical writer compared to predominantly non-white communities is because our understanding of
what is considered academic is de ned by Euro-centric systems. In this paper, I will examine
postcolonial discourse in technical writing and how this has a ected the distribution of information
on a global scale throughout time. Understanding the development of information distribution on a
global scale and the di erent ways colonized communities throughout time have been impacted by
imperial ideas of academia is vital in deconstructing the predominantly Euro-centric ideologies that the
eld of technical writing is based on today.

First this paper will look to explain what postcolonial discourse actually is by providing basic
de nitions of postcolonial theory itself and the vocabulary used within the eld. This will be
important in order to ensure su cient understanding of the concepts this paper plans to deconstruct.
Second, the methodology will be explained; this allows the historical documents and peer-reviewed
critiques to be introduced that will be applied in order to examine information distribution through a
postcolonial lens. Finally, results of this research will be examined before drawing some critical
conclusions as to why proving that the eld of technical writing is predominantly governed through
postcolonial discourse matters.
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Postcolonial Discourse
What is Postcolonial Discourse?

To de ne postcolonial discourse the question must rst be asked: what is postcolonialism?

Postcolonialism is described by Ashcroft, Gri ths, and Ti n as , “[dealing] with the e ects of
colonization on cultures and societies” (Ashcroft Gri ths and Ti n 168). The term was rst used
during the Second World War to chronologically describe what was considered to be an independence
period. However, more commonly in this contemporary era the term postcolonial is used to describe
the cultural e ects of colonization throughout a ected societies (Aschcroft Gri ths and Ti n 168).

The pre x “post” insinuates a period after, while “colonial” refers to the concept of colonialism de ned
as, “the speci c form of cultural exploitation that developed with the expansion of Europe over the last
400 years.” This reference to the rapid advancement of European ideas will be referred to as
Euro-centric ideology throughout this paper.

Therefore, when discussing postcolonial discourse this paper is discussing the language that re ects the
e ects of colonization on a society. As stated in the introductory paragraph, this paper will speci cally
look at applying this concept of postcolonial discourse to information distribution in the eld of
technical writing.

What is Colonization?

Colonization is the act of one country assuming complete governmental and cultural control over
another. The term itself, “is important in de ning the speci c form of cultural exploitation that
developed with the expansion of Europe” (Ashcroft Gri ths and Ti n 40).

When Europe sought to colonize regions, they in turn brought with them their cultural standards and
explicitly and implicitly forced them upon the colonized, native people. For example, religious beliefs
held by the European countries who were assuming control over others was expected to be followed
after o cial governmental control took place. Colonization is what happens when an imperial force or
country takes control over another nation and by doing so forcing their cultural norms.
Haven’t you said
Imperialism v. Colonialism this already?

It is important to note the di erences between the terms “imperialism” and “colonialism” as they will
be heavily used throughout this paper. Ashcroft, Gri ths, and Ti n cite Edward Said when making
the following distinction:

“‘Imperialism’ means the practice, the theory, and the attitudes of a dominating metropolitan centre
ruling a distant territory; ‘colonialism,’ which is almost always a consequence of imperialism,is the
implanting of settlements on distant territory” (Aschroft Gri ths and Ti n 40).
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This means that when using the term “imperial” or “imperialism” this paper is discussing the theory or
concept of settling in other nations. When using the term “colonial” or “colonialism” this paper is
discussing the literal act of settling in these nations.

Methodology
Content Analysis
Clarify this definition further
Research for this paper was done using content analysis, a method commonly used in communication
research to study documents and other historical communication artifacts. This method allowed for
both qualitative and quantitative data to be sampled in order to further analyze the subject of
postcolonial discourse in technical writing.

Traditional forms of content analysis were not strictly followed. This paper speci cally focused on
using the sources located in the works cited page below to analyze how postcolonial discourse has
a ected information distribution. No codes were created to develop quantitative data, however
quantitative data pertaining to the eld of technical writing was obtained and applied to their
applicable categories.

Results
History of Technical Writing

When it comes to colonized communities it is more often than not the colonizer who maintains
dominant positions of power over the nations culture and society. This in turn in uences ideas of
entertainment, language, and even academics. For example, Battle and many other sources de ne the
works of Aristotle as the rst example of technical writing (Battle 1994). This is despite the fact that we
have evidence of ancient forms of technical writing from pre-colonial communities that existed before
Aristotle was even born (Lewis 1993). We understand Aristotle as technical but Egyptian written
language as non-technical despite the fact that both serve the same informative purpose.
as a technical writer
In Spurious Coin a History of Science, Management, and Technical Writing, Bernadette Longo
explores the cultural history of technical writing in the United State and the power of control this
system of knowledge holds. Longo provides a framework for understanding the cultural history of
technical writing that is de ned by ve characteristics: use of correct English, maximum e ciency of
construction, the need to contribute scienti c knowledge to better the world around us, the tension
between the roles of science and art, and the urge to purify language (Longo 2000).
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When breaking down these ve characteristics a

few things can be observed:

1. The “use of correct English” and

“maximum e ciency of construction ”
perpetuates the idea that the English
language is the main language in which
appropriate technical writing should be
de ned; this is despite the fact that English
is not a rst-language for most people in
the world. This means these individuals
would be forced to learn and perfect a
foreign language in order to be taken
seriously in the predominantly English
technical writing industry.

2. The urge to ‘purify language’ speaks directly to the imperial ideology of enforcing the
colonizers culture onto the colonized people. In fact, Breeanne Matheson directly states that,
“much of [the] focus has been given to practitioners in Euro-Western contexts” in reference to
obtaining professional legitimacy in the eld of technical writing for non-European people
(Matheson 2020).

Longo states that the eld of technical writing, “continue[s] throughout this century to stabilize a
culture's system of knowledge and power based on scienti c knowledge” (Longo 2000). If this
statement is true, then when referring back to Longo’s framework for understanding the cultural
history of technical writing, we can see that Matherson is correct when they say that, “when researchers
do not explore tensions and struggles embodied within technical writing,” the research they conduct,
“may help to change surface features of the knowledge system, but it will not change power
relationships within that system” (Matheson 2020).

Predominantly White Industry

Data published by employment

search company, Zippia, from
2021 reports that 77.8% of
technical writers on a global scale
are white. While these statistics
appear to be dramatic, when
looking at Longo’s criteria for
technical writing it is easy to see
how this could happen.
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Despite the predominantly white demographic, Matheson states that, “practitioners in India have also
worked to strengthen their own legitimacy” by establishing, “the Society for Technical
Communication India chapter in 1999 and its subsequent organizational impact as a mechanism
toward improving the legitimacy of the eld in India” (Matheson 2020).

However, based on the postcolonial lens in which this paper is making its analyses, in order to maintain
legitimacy in the eld the eld itself must reverse its dominant postcolonial discourse that emphasizes
the Euro-centric perspective. India is only not recognized as ‘legitimate’ within the eld because of the
dominant European discourse placed on technical writing academics.

Conclusion
Information Distribution and Postcolonial Discourse

In conclusion, understanding the history of our current de nitions of technical writing is important in
order to not just deconstruct imperial concepts of academics but to also help expand our craft. By rst
explaining: what postcolonial discourse actually is, what methodology was used, and the results of this
research, this paper has proved why understanding that the eld of technical writing is predominantly
governed through postcolonial discourse matters.

By pointing out issues involving postcolonial perspectives we can learn how to do better in the future
so that we can legitimize and incorporate vital information through diverse perspectives. Studying how
information has been distributed throughout time is bound to teach us how to better communicate in
the present; whether it be through mistake or example.
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Works Cited
Ashcroft, Bill, Gareth Gri ths, and Helen Ti n. Post-colonial Studies: The Key Concepts. London:
Routledge, 2000. Print. doi:10.4324/978023777855.
Battle, Mary Vroman. “A New/Old Strategy for Reading and Writing Technical Documents.”
Technical Communication, vol. 41, no. 1, Society for Technical Communication, 1994, pp.
81–88, http://www.jstor.org/stable/43090916.
Lewis, N. (1993). The Demise of the Demotic Document: When and Why. The Journal of Egyptian
Archaeology, 79, 276–281. https://doi.org/10.2307/3822179
Longo, Bernadette. Spurious Coin a History of Science, Management, and Technical Writing. State
University of New York Press, 2000.
Matheson, Breeanne. “Beginning With Ganesha: The Founding and Early History of the Society for
Technical Communication in India.” Journal of Technical Writing and Communication, vol.
50, no. 3, July 2020, pp. 289–307, doi:10.1177/0047281619873139.
Global Technical Writer. (n.d.). Retrieved December 12, 2021, from
https://www.zippia.com/global-technical-writer-jobs/demographics/