Colonial Oppression and Indigenous Resistance in Things Fall Apart and Nervous Conditions: A Postcolonial Analysis

Abstract

 This research paper presents a comparative postcolonial analysis of Chinua Achebe’s Things Fall Apart and Tsitsi Dangarembga’s Nervous Conditions, focusing on the thematic intersections of colonial oppression and indigenous resistance. Employing a qualitative, comparative textual methodology, the study investigates how each novel portrays institutional mechanisms of colonial control—such as religion, education, and governance—and explores the distinct strategies of resistance formulated by male and female protagonists within their respective socio-historical contexts. Drawing on postcolonial literary criticism, including the theories of Edward Said, Homi Bhabha, and Gayatri Spivak, the analysis reveals that Achebe emphasizes communal, ritual-based resistance in the face of cultural erosion, whereas Dangarembga articulates internal, gendered rebellion against both colonial and patriarchal authority. Thematic coding and interpretive close reading of both novels highlight the symbolic, psychological, and socio-political dimensions of resistance. Okonkwo’s tragic resistance and Tambu’s introspective defiance are examined as archetypes of resistance shaped by cultural memory and hybrid identity respectively. The findings underscore the multiplicity and contextual nature of postcolonial resistance, illustrating how colonial legacies intersect with gender, language, and class. This study contributes to decolonial literary methodologies and enriches the discourse on African postcolonial literature by offering a gender-sensitive and culturally nuanced framework for understanding resistance across differing colonial contexts.