Autopic Imperial Eyes

Ideological and social practices are interconnected and politically constitute each other. This article takes an interdisciplinary approach to investigate how historians and literary scholars have discussed the intersections of exploration, colonisation, language and race during early European imperial expeditions. It examines the construction of racial “otherness,” in terms of religion, and community; through early European explorations and through the lens of gender. It also underscores the role of language as a tool for imperial domination and assesses the idea of linguistic colonialism by situating Shakespeare as a translator of the racial divide and scrutinising his representations of characters in two of his most popular dramas The Tempest and Othello.