Nehemiah as a Mimic Man under the Achaemenid Empire: A Postcolonial Reading of Nehemiah 5

In this article, I argue that Nehemiah obliquely criticizes the Achaemenid Empire’s polity over subaltern societies in Neh 5. I will first explore Homi Bhabha’s main ideas such as stereotypes, ambivalence, mimicry, and hybridity. Then, I will apply his theories to understand Nehemiah as a mimic man. Nehemiah’s hybrid identity as a Persian official and a Jew results in the mimicry of the colonized. The mimicry functions as a mockery against the Achaemenid Empire. Since Nehemiah knows the ethical statements in Darius’ testament in DNb and the Persian kings’ luxurious table, he not only appropriates the Achaemenid imperial ideology, but also criticizes the Achaemenid dynasty’s heavy taxation on the subaltern in Neh 5.