Modern-Day Sociopolitical Intricacies in Selected Anglophone Novels [Ca. 2005-2015]: A Comparative Study of East African Experiences
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Date
2020-12
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Addis Ababa Unversity
Abstract
This project is geared towards investigating modern-day sociopolitical intricacies in an attempt to determine the trajectory of the historical, social and political realities reflected in the selected East African novels in English. The study aimed at finding out the emergent themes in the selected novels, identifying if the prevailing themes correlate with the historical realities, examining the representation of Africa and Africans, and identifying the inter texuality between the chosen novels. A postcolonial theory is used as a reading strategy and a national/regional model of postcolonial theory is employed to comparatively examine the thematic convergence and divergence the novels under scrutiny may have. To this effect, four novels namely, The Orchard of Lost Souls (2013) Cross Bones (2011), Black Star Nairobi (2013) and Waiting
(2007) have been selected purposively from East Africa. The purposive selection of the aforementioned novels is grounded on the researcher’s motivation to fill the identified research gap. A postcolonial theory has been discussed in an eclectic manner as a theoretical framework of the study. The study thus found out that the selected novels have brought out emergent themes such as religious fundamentalism, ethnocentrism, piracy, human trafficking, and cross boundary
sociopolitical problems that are unsettling the sociopolitical atmosphere of the Horn of Africa. In addition to foregrounding the impact of the aforesaid themes upon sociopolitical realities of the East African countries, the novels under scrutiny also reveal that the existing sociopolitical anomalies such as corruption, lack of good governance, and gender issues are still taking their toll on Africans long after independence. Finally, the comparative analysis conducted on the selected novels has shown that the novels under investigation have both thematic convergences and divergences. The study concludes that the authors have tried to call the attention of the readers to the fact that Africa in general and the East African region in particular is confronted with new challenges such as religious fundamentalism, ethnocentrism, piracy, human trafficking,
cross boundary sociopolitical problems, and foreign powers’ meddling in their internal affairs.