Which of the following are the premises of past colonial criticism?
[A] It rejects the claims of universalism made in the canonical western literature.
[B] It foregrounds the questions of cultural difference and diversity as represented in literary texts.
[C] It acts on the principles of peaceful co-existence.
[D] It celebrates ‘hybridity’ and ‘cultural polyvalency’
[E] It resists any attempt at homogenization based on race, class and nationality.
Choose the correct answer from the options given below:

The correct option is A, B, D and E only.

Postcolonial criticism is a school of literary and cultural theory that analyzes, explains, and responds to the cultural legacies of colonialism and imperialism. Here is a step-by-step breakdown of why options A, B, D, and E are its core premises, while option C is not:

1. Rejection of Universalism (Premise A):
Postcolonial criticism strongly rejects the claims of "universalism" found in canonical Western literature. Historically, Western literature was often presented as expressing universal human truths. Postcolonial theorists argue that these "universal" truths are actually culturally specific Western values projectively imposed onto the rest of the world, thereby marginalizing non-Western experiences and perspectives.

2. Representation of Cultural Difference and Diversity (Premise B):
It foregrounds the questions of cultural difference and diversity as they are represented in literary texts. Postcolonial reading practices highlight how colonizing cultures construct "the other" and how postcolonial subjects reclaim and represent their own diverse cultural identities, resisting colonial misrepresentations.

3. Celebration of Hybridity and Cultural Polyvalency (Premise D):
A major contribution of postcolonial theorists (most notably Homi K. Bhabha) is the concept of "hybridity"—the mixing of cultural forms and identities resulting from colonial encounters. Postcolonial criticism celebrates this hybridity and cultural polyvalency (having multiple values or meanings) as a space of subversion and resistance against rigid colonial binaries (such as colonizer vs. colonized).

4. Resistance to Homogenization (Premise E):
Postcolonial criticism actively resists any attempt at homogenization based on race, class, and nationality. It challenges globalizing or colonial discourses that treat colonized peoples as a single, uniform group, asserting instead their complex, heterogeneous, and intersectional identities.

Why Option C is Incorrect:
Premise C states that it "acts on the principles of peaceful co-existence." While peaceful co-existence is a general political or ethical ideal, postcolonial criticism is fundamentally an analytical and critical framework concerned with exposing power struggles, colonial oppression, conflict, and resistance. Its primary objective is critical deconstruction rather than acting on principles of peaceful co-existence.