The Postcolonial Implications of Albert Camus’ “Philosophical Suicide”

Albert Camus' existential philosophy has had a lasting influence on the philosophical discourse of the 20th century. One of his most famous concepts, "philosophical suicide," reflects on life's absurdity. Yet Camus offered another option, encouraging us to challenge this absurdity by embracing life and living meaningfully.

In this article, I examine Camus' "philosophical suicide" through postcolonial lens. Postcolonialism is an approach to studying historical, cultural, and political aspects of human interactions that emerged out of colonialism around the world. It serves as a lens for reflecting on contemporary society's dynamics in relation to its colonial past, revealing how power dynamics, history, and identity still shape our world today.

Camus wrote in his essay "The Myth of Sisyphus" that there is only one truly serious philosophical question: whether life is worth living. Answering this fundamental question in philosophy requires us to confront an indifferent, unreasonable and random universe - leading to an existential crisis for man.

Camus' philosophy offers an alternative to the traditional philosophical solution of accepting death or religion as the answer for life's absurdities. Instead, he suggests that people should strive for meaning even when faced with absurdity. I argue that Camus' radical philosophical solution has significant ramifications for postcolonial discourse.

Postcolonial theory asserts that colonization has left its mark on the language, culture and social structures of colonized communities, leading to psychological and material subordination. Colonization is an act of forceful domination which leads to oppression for those colonized; they are humiliated and reduced in identity due to colonialism's always downward power dynamics.

In colonized communities, an existential crisis often arises as a result of disorientation and dislocation caused by colonizers. As individuals strive to reclaim their sense of self-identity within these communities, they face obstacles erected by colonizers which lead to cultural and psychological breakdown.

Camus' philosophy of the absurd perfectly captures the postcolonial experience. Confronting an arbitrary and senseless situation beyond individual control - that is metaphysiologically similar to being absurd - is a hallmark of postcoloniality. Colonializers have stolen away the essence of identity of the colonized, leading to cultural dislocation as well as psychological distress. Moreover, colonization has had a lasting impact on modes of representation, social structures, and culture alike.

Therefore, Camus' philosophy of accepting the absurd offers an encouraging message for postcolonial people. Instead of succumbing to philosophical suicide due to colonizer's domination over them, colonized people should embrace life and assert their identity through assertions of plurality beyond the binaries of the self and the other.

The postcolonial condition offers us a unique perspective to understand Camus' philosophy of subordination. Postcolonialism highlights how colonizers' ideology and language structure perpetuate oppression of the colonized, while they themselves remain objects in power regardless of any objective truths. Camus' philosophy offers us an opportunity to break this dichotomy, encouraging colonized peoples to become subjects in control of their lives instead of objects being subjugated.

Camus' philosophy encourages postcolonial subjects to challenge the colonists, rejecting the idea that their former or present oppressor is the ultimate authority and instead asserting their agency. Internalizing oppression often results in alienation for subaltern consciousness; by rejecting this tendency they can instead embrace absurdity while asserting their power over oppression.

It is evident that Camus' existential philosophy has significant ramifications for postcolonial discourse. He offers an alternative to traditional philosophical solutions like death or religion, advocating instead a life-affirming response to existence's absurdity. Through accepting life rather than philosophical suicide, colonized individuals may find the strength to assert their identity and challenge power structures once dominant over them.