Analyzing The Processes Of Decolonization And Early Post Colony

The novel Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe discusses the rise of an Igbo chieftain who came from great poverty to power and the eventual loss of Igbo traditions, rites, and the influence of his clan through his eyes due to western imperialism and colonialism. The intended audience for this novel is very broad, but if we tried to define it would primarily be people who have not experienced the Igbo culture and westerners or people who speak English. In this essay I will be focusing on the last six chapters: chapters 20 to 25. These chapters highlight the loss of power and customs of the Igbo people who have succumb to colonial rule. I fell Achebe is rhetorically effective and

Chinua Achebe’s, Things Fall Apart, is a story of a traditional village in Nigeria from inside Umuofia around the late 1800s. This novel depicts late African history and shows how the British administrative structure, in the form of the European Anglican Church, imposed its religion and trappings on the cultures of Africa, which they believed was uncivilized. This missionary zeal subjugated large native populations. Consequently, the native traditions gradually disappeared and in time the whole local social structure within which the indigenous people had lived successfully for centuries was destroyed. Achebe spends the first half of the novel depicting the Ibo culture, by

The Novel Half of a Yellow Sun by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie was first published in 2006 and follows the interweaved narrative of three individuals living in Eastern Nigeria throughout the 1960s. The Novel, set within the backdrop of the Biafra secession movement and subsequent civil war, demonstrates how the daily life of Biafrans was riddled with conflict, turbulence and trauma. Additionally, the novel depicts how the effects of colonialism remain a strong force in the everyday lives of the characters as many continue to hold colonial sentiment. Furthermore, through the character Odenigbo, Adichie highlights how education is an important tool for decolonisation and allows citizens to create discourse on their own terms. Ultimately, the novel displays African life within the context of a newly-independent and turbulent state. This paper will aim to contextualise and discuss such themes in Adichie’s novel.

Chinua Achebe’s, Things Fall Apart, is a story of a traditional village in Nigeria from inside Umuofia around the late 1800s. This novel depicts late African history and shows how the British administrative structure, in the form of the European Anglican Church, imposed its religion and trappings on the cultures of Africa, which they believed was uncivilized. This missionary zeal subjugated large native populations. Consequently, the native traditions gradually disappeared and in time the whole local social structure within which the indigenous people had lived successfully for centuries was destroyed. Achebe spends the first half of the novel depicting the Ibo culture, by itself,

Decolonization is the undoing of colonialism, where a nation establishes and maintains its domination over dependent territories. The word Decolonization has been defined variously. The Oxford English Dictionary defines decolonization as “the withdrawal from its colonies of a colonial power; the acquisition of political or economic independence by such colonies” (Wiki.). The term refers particularly to the dismantlement, in the years after World War II, of the colonial empires established prior to World War I throughout the world. However, decolonization not only refers to the complete "removal of the domination of non-indigenous forces" within the geographical space and different institutions of the colonized, but it also refers to the "decolonizing

Achebe excelled at school, and won a scholarship to study medicine, but changed his studies to English Literature at University College. He became fascinated with world religious, and traditional African cultures, and began writing stories as a university student. Then he became a Nigerian novelist, poet, professor, and critic, who was one of the first to write a Postcolonial novel, so we can’t talk about postcolonial literature, without talking about the master piece of Achebe “Things Fall Apart”, that played a vital role in presenting a complex, dynamic society, to a Western audience, who perceived African society as primitive, simple, and

The response of the native populations in Nigeria and India is comparable to British Colonialism in the nineteenth century. This is shown through Dadabhai’s reveal of the Indian perspective on British Imperialism in his article written in 1874, “The Pros and Cons of British Rule.” Additionally, the Nigerian perspective was explained by Chinua Achebe in his novel “Things Fall Apart” in 1958.

Decolonization can be achieved by gaining independence, along with interaction of power also, it is a political process that causes violence in in a lot of circumstances and may sometimes be resolved by negotiating on peaceful terms. But can also lead to violent resistance and arm struggle by the native population. Eventually with World War coming to an end, it brought a revolution of decolonization in many countries. For many people, this was a positive thing as they were to obtain independence from colonies and empires. Decolonization was a long process to begin with, it took almost thirty years after World War II for some places. With colonial powers getting weaker, that was great chance for independence for Africa and Asia. Not only

Decolonization in this paper specifically refers to the dismantling of the economic and political relations between the colonies and their colonizers and in this sense the independence achieved by African, Asian, Island territories following the Second World War. When it comes to the process of decolonization there was no one set method. In some post World War II areas decolonization was peaceful and orderly, however for some other areas of the world independence was only achieved through violent revolution. Some countries were able to enter into governments with relative ease and they had relatively stable governments from the birth of their nation while others were unfortunately subjected to more bloodshed through the rule of military leaders or unstable governments riddled with corruption, incessant coups or lengthy civil wars. Much of the determining factors in these newly formed governments potential success was the process in which they achieved their independence and the relationship they had with their former colonizer and the international community at large. For Africa which was largely colonized by the British Empire, and later dismantled suggests that intense African nationalism in conjunction with international backlash for imperialism.

The twenty-first century marked a fundamental change in world politics. The new era of politics reflected the decreased importance of a imperial European theatre and its hierarchical society. It was during this period that the notion of imperialism became associated with opprobrium. The formation of the UN and their charter on self-determination and human rights indicated an incompatibility with European imperialism. The bipolar system of international society determined that decolonization was the best key to ensure the UN new charters and to maintain global sustainability. The decolonization process of European empires attempted to transform the international society by integrating the European and Non-European world but failed in retrospect due to the Cold War politics. Therefore it will be the purpose of this essay to discuss and analyze the theoretical success of decolonization and how decolonization failed to integrate European and Non-European worlds into international society due to bipolarity and Cold War behaviour.

The desire to conquer land that was previously unexplored has existed throughout history. This desire forced many indigenous societies, who were usually dominated technologically, to adapt to the teachings and overall system of the ‘superior’ conqueror nation with destruction as the only alternative. This causes a major impact on how a certain society functions, even after seeking independence from the foreigners. The rise and fall of indigenous societies can be analyzed through various media. Chinua Achebe is a novelist specializing in African literature, and this essay deals with the themes regarding colonialism in one of his many novels. In

A master at providing alternative context to Africa and concepts of decolonization, Chinua Achebe wrote a great amount of literary work, including, Things Fall Apart (1956) and A Man of the People (1966). The first novel, occurring both before and during Nigeria’s neo colonial period, depicts the relationship between Okonkwo and his Igbo tribe in Umuofia. With an identity heavily dependent on his social status and structure, Achebe’s protagonist communicates his extreme distaste for the entrance of European colonizers:

This paper reflects the novel “Things Fall Apart” written by Chinua Achebe in 1958. Achebe gives an overview of pre-colonialism and post-colonialism on Igbo, detailing how local traditions and cultural practices can “fall apart” in some scenarios through some introduced, externally created hassles elevated because of colonization. The protagonist named Okonkwo mentioned in the story is a proof showing the lifestyle of the tribe. My main objective and focus is to lay emphasis on Africa specifically the Igbo society, before and after the arrival of the Europeans in Umuofia community; the results of their arrival concerning Igbo culture, thus leading to the clash of cultures between the two categories. I will also draw on post-colonialism with respect to globalization.

Chinua Achebe’s novel, “Things Fall Apart,” highlights certain aspects of the Igbo’s culture and society in order to give recognition to the native culture that existed in Africa prior to colonization. The novel focuses on a specific village, in present day Nigeria, named Umuofia where the Igbo people reside. The intricate descriptions of the celebrations, rituals, and festivals of the Igbo people help the world gain a deeper understanding of the native cultures found in Africa. These aspects of African society touch on cultural normalities for the native people that the European colonizers and missionaries ignored.

Chinua Achebe’s Things Fall Apart is a modern example of postcolonial literature and is one of the most influential pieces of its genre. Postcolonial writing presents important themes and lessons of justice, equality, and freedom that can be applied to present times. It reminds us of how important our freedoms are and why we need to protect them. The colonized write about their exploitation and show how there is persecution in their colonized society. Postcolonial authors use specific methods to undermine their colonizers and reveal their backward logic. Things Fall Apart has various examples of meta-narrative, decolonization struggles, and colonial discourse worked in throughout the novel. Chinua Achebe’s writing styles showcase these techniques to subvert his European colonizers.