Analysis of Postcolonial Themes on Dinaw Mangistu’s Novel Entitled ‘All Our Names’

Abstract

By using descriptive research design with qualitative method of data gathering and analysis, the main objective of this study was to analyze the representation of postcolonial themes in Dinaw Mengistu’s novel called ‘All Our Names’. This study was carried out in 2018. Both primary and secondary data were used and analyzed by using thematic analysis method so as to meet the intended objectives. The theoretical framework in this study were developed based on the relevance concept of postcolonial theorists in order to show postcolonial features in ‘All Our Names’. The major type of postcolonial themes as method of data analysis was used to interpret and analyze the collected data from the intended novel. This means, the analysis consists of extracting stories from the novel, analyzing and interpreting them based on major postcolonial issues. Therefore all themes like: cultural identity, hybridity and self-otherness were mainly represented within the novel of ‘All Our Names’. The representation of those postcolonial themes which the novel incorporates has its own function to understand the meaning of the novel more clearly and also it can invite students of literature to view the novel from a socio-cultural perspective which adds a critical dimension to the reading experience. At the end, the issue of race, gender and class were also found as the thematic issues consisted on the postcolonial themes which have been evident in most diasporic literary productions.

Keywords: All Our Names, Colonialism, Postcolonial, Themes

DOI: 10.7176/JLLL/65-01

Publication date: February 29^th 2020