THE PRETEXT OF SUPERIORITY AND AFRICANS AS ‘OTHERS’: AN ORIENTALIST STUDY OF ABDULRAZAK GURNAH’S AFTERLIVES

Abstract

Current research study focuses on the interpretation of Afterlives as a
narrative displaying colonial discourse of Germany against native/indigenous
Africans. The novel is a postcolonial narrative which embodies colonial atrocities
based on colonial discourse and decolonization of Tanzania, East Africa. It
displays the themes of genocide, oppression, barbarism and war by colonial
masters like British Empire and more primarily German Empire. However,
researchers in this study have analyzed the novel from the perspective of colonial
discourse considering native Africans as ‘others’ by German masters. It addresses
a research question how German colonial masters developed the pretext of
superiority over native Africans in Afterlives. For reaching comprehensive
conclusions of research study, researchers have utilized theory of Orientalism by
Edward W. Said. From the theory, the component of ‘other’ is more focused as a
theoretical framework. Researchers have used Textual Analysis Method of
research as a data analysis method. Data are textual generated from the selected
novel with thematic and theoretical criteria. Analysis reveals that Afterlives is a
narration considering natives as barbaric, brutal, strange, inferior and uncivilized
as critiqued by Said. This colonial discourse justifies invasion of Germany as they
fantasized themselves superior to native Africans in political and social spheres
of life.