Preventing things from falling further apart: The preservation of cultural identities in postcolonial African, Indian, and Caribbean literatures
by Mukundi, Paul Maina, Ph.D., MORGAN STATE UNIVERSITY, 2009, 329 pages; 3365794

Abstract:

This study investigates how selected postcolonial fictional writers have viewed the cultural experiences of African, Indian, and Caribbean peoples during and after colonization. Specifically, the study examines the culturally-confusing attempt to substitute indigenous languages, religion, and gender roles for colonial institutions and practices. To achieve this goal, the researcher analyzes, from Africa, Ngugi wa Thiong'o's Petals of Blood and Zakes Mda's Ways of Dying; from India, Mahasweta Devi's Chotti Munda and His Arrow and Arundhati Roy's God of Small Things; and from the Caribbean, Jamaica Kincaid's A Small Place and Maryse Condé's Segu. The above postcolonial communities were irreversibly changed by colonization. As a result, indigenous languages, education, religions, and roles for women now exist within externally-imposed colonial systems. Colonial languages have been, therefore, adopted for official use in education, government, and commerce, whereas indigenous languages are mostly reserved for other transactions. Similarly, while adhering to the traditions of colonially-imposed religions, postcolonial societies frequently integrated their traditional belief systems with external ones. Last, although women have coped with roles foisted upon them by postcolonial realities, these women still serve in the traditional roles of educators and health providers for their families and communities. The above integration of cultures is a type of hybridity by which many postcolonial African, Indian, and Caribbean societies are struggling to preserve their cultural identities.

 
AdviserMeena Khorana
SchoolMORGAN STATE UNIVERSITY
SourceDAI/A 70-07, p. , Aug 2009
Source TypeDissertation
SubjectsComparative literature; Asian literature; African literature; Caribbean literature
Publication Number3365794
Adobe PDF Access the complete dissertation:
 

» Find an electronic copy at your library.
  Use the link below to access a full citation record of this graduate work:
  http://gateway.proquest.com/openurl%3furl_ver=Z39.88-2004%26res_dat=xri:pqdiss%26rft_val_fmt=info:ofi/fmt:kev:mtx:dissertation%26rft_dat=xri:pqdiss:3365794
  If your library subscribes to the ProQuest Dissertations & Theses (PQDT) database, you may be entitled to a free electronic version of this graduate work. If not, you will have the option to purchase one, and access a 24 page preview for free (if available).

About ProQuest Dissertations & Theses
With over 2.3 million records, the ProQuest Dissertations & Theses (PQDT) database is the most comprehensive collection of dissertations and theses in the world. It is the database of record for graduate research.

The database includes citations of graduate works ranging from the first U.S. dissertation, accepted in 1861, to those accepted as recently as last semester. Of the 2.3 million graduate works included in the database, ProQuest offers more than 1.9 million in full text formats. Of those, over 860,000 are available in PDF format. More than 60,000 dissertations and theses are added to the database each year.

If you have questions, please feel free to visit the ProQuest Web site - http://www.proquest.com - or call ProQuest Hotline Customer Support at 1-800-521-3042.