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 answer is A, B, D and E only.

Postcolonial criticism is a literary and cultural theory that analyzes, explains, and responds to the cultural legacies of colonialism and imperialism. Here is the step-by-step breakdown of why these specific options are the correct premises of postcolonial criticism:

[A] It rejects the claims of universalism made in the canonical western literature: Postcolonial theory argues that Western literature often projects its own cultural values, experiences, and assumptions as "universal" truths, thereby marginalizing and silencing non-Western perspectives. Rejecting this universalism is a central premise.

[B] It foregrounds the questions of cultural difference and diversity as represented in literary texts: A major goal of postcolonial criticism is to examine how different cultures are represented, focusing on the complexities of cultural identity, differences, and diversity rather than treating all cultures as uniform.

[D] It celebrates ‘hybridity’ and ‘cultural polyvalency’: Postcolonial theorists like Homi Bhabha introduced the concept of "hybridity" to describe the mixing of cultural forms and identities that occurs as a result of colonization. Rather than seeing this as a negative loss of purity, postcolonial criticism celebrates it as a site of creativity and resistance.

[E] It resists any attempt at homogenization based on race, class and nationality: Postcolonialism actively opposes reducing diverse groups of people to simplistic, homogeneous categories. It resists Western efforts to generalize or flatten the identities of colonized peoples based on race, class, gender, or nationality.

Why [C] is incorrect: While postcolonial criticism seeks to address power imbalances, its focus is on critical analysis, resistance, decolonization, and exposing historical injustices rather than operating on a political diplomacy principle like "peaceful co-existence." Therefore, statement C is not a defining premise of postcolonial literary criticism.