Colonial Disruption and Cultural Transformation: An Analysis of Igbo Society Before and After British Colonization in Chinua Achebe’s Things Fall Apart
Year: 2015
Type: article
Abstract: As a leading postcolonial novelist, Chinua Achebe has been recognized as the "Father of Modern African Literature."His influential body of work is informed by a critical theory of writing that mediates the politics of the novel as a form of commentary on the emergence and transformation of nationalism within the African writer's epistemological context.Achebe's seminal novel Things Fall Apart (1958) presents a nuanced portrayal of the collision between traditional Igbo society and British colonial forces in late 19th-century Nigeria.This research article examines the comprehensive transformation of Igbo social, religious, economic, and political structures as depicted through Achebe's narrative.Through close textual analysis, this study explores how the novel illustrates the complexity of pre-colonial Igbo civilization while simultaneously documenting the systematic dismantling of indigenous institutions under colonial rule.The analysis reveals that Achebe's work serves not merely as a historical account but as a sophisticated critique of colonial discourse that challenges Western stereotypes about African societies.The research demonstrates how the novel's bifurcated structure mirrors the profound cultural rupture experienced by colonized peoples, offering insights into the lasting effects of colonialism on African identity and social organization.By examining both the preservation of Igbo cultural memory and the documentation of colonial disruption, this study positions Things Fall Apart as a foundational text that bridges literary artistry with anticolonial resistance.
Authors: Boutkhil GUEMIDE, Amir SAMIR
Language: English
Subfield: Literature and Literary Theory
Field: Arts and Humanities
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: diamond
OpenAlex ID: W4412808752