Literary archives of conflict, the decoloniality of materialities and resilience in selected narratives of genocide in Namibia
| dc.contributor.author | Kandemiri, Coletta M. | |
| dc.date.accessioned | 2021-07-29T10:48:35Z | |
| dc.date.available | 2021-07-29T10:48:35Z | |
| dc.date.issued | 2021 | |
| dc.description | A research submitted in fulfillment of the requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy in English Studies | en_US |
| dc.description.abstract | The 1904-1908 Conflict has not received much attention as other genocides such as the Holocaust or the Armenian Genocide and with some scholars even arguing that it was not a genocide but just a colonial war. During this period in question, the natives of the then German South West Africa were stripped of both materialities and immaterialities. The extermination order issued by German General Lortha van Trotha meant to annihilate a nation as its instruction was to execute any native found by the Schutztruppe (German troops) as reflecting in the selected fictional texts for this study. The study explored the decoloniality of materialities and resilience in the selected genocidal fiction in Namibia’s 1904-1908 Conflict. Additionally, the study was informed by secondary sources that facilitated more understanding on the topic of genocide and an expansion of knowledge regarding historical events in Namibia. Moreover, it was a qualitative desktop research and employed content analysis where the selected novels: The Lie of the Land by Utley (2017); The Weeping Graves of Our Ancestors by Tjingaete (2017); The Scattering by Kubuitsile (2016); Parts Unknown by Van Den Berg (2018); and Mama Namibia by Serebrov (2013), were the reference material. Three theories namely: Trauma and Resilience supported by Ecocriticism and New Historicism framed the study. The findings of the study reveal literary evidence that the 1904-1908 Conflict is a genocide. Also, the dislodgment of the Hereros found them wanting of home, social set ups meddled, religion, culture and tradition invaded as well as sacred places pried on. The study also found that there exists a thin line between fictional historical novels and history proper and as such they could be used as perfect substitutes of each other, though an argument not readily accepted by some historians. The pragmatic disposition of these selected novels is promising and certain as the imaginary may naturally be transmuted into reality. Moreover, all the texts under study employ the selected art forms but in different ways considering the different backgrounds and motivations of the authors. The selected novels conjure literature’s nearness to recreate some critical arguments that are still unsolved even in present day Namibia about the general wellbeing of the people with the conundrums still concomitant to a nation’s past. With the genocide still making headlines in the contemporary media (newspapers), it is inevitable that there are unsaid issues that are still unsolved such as the reparations that are still to be attended to, meaning ‘the show isn’t over’. Additional to the findings, revenging and fighting back as well as the conscientising and mobilising amongst the Hereros and Namas emerge as forms of resilience in some of the novels. The study recommends for future studies that there may be need to merge fictional and nonfictional works on the 1904-1908 genocide and establish the link between the two. Also, like other genocides, the 1904-1908 genocide should have a representation of the epoch in film form to increase awareness of its existence and also be studied as part of human history. Lastly, there may be need to introduce genocide studies at the University of Namibia. | en_US |
| dc.identifier.uri | http://hdl.handle.net/11070/3002 | |
| dc.language.iso | en | en_US |
| dc.publisher | University of Namibia | en_US |
| dc.subject | Literary archives | en_US |
| dc.subject | Conflict | en_US |
| dc.subject | Genocide | en_US |
| dc.title | Literary archives of conflict, the decoloniality of materialities and resilience in selected narratives of genocide in Namibia | en_US |
| dc.type | Thesis | en_US |