POST-COLONIAL ECOCRITICISM IN AFRICAN SHORT FICTION

Abstract

This study examines the theoretical framework of eco-criticism and post colonialism through the detailed analysis of short fiction “Wedding at the Cross” by Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o and “Once Upon a Time” by Nadine Gordimer. Eco-criticism is one of the emerging fields in literary criticism which deals with the interplay between literature and environment. Using the theory of Post-colonial Ecocriticism with respect to the framework of ruin ecology by Jason Rhys Parry, the research analyzes ecological imperialism; how white masters affected the natural terrain and environment. The concept of ruin ecology focuses on the aftermath of colonized lands, bringing forth the issue of colonial control remnants which continued and altered the ecology and topography. Both short fiction narratives contain and highlights the underlying symbiosis between the white masters and the black native, showcasing how the domination across landscape is parallel to the domination over the minds of colonized. The research highlights the ecological destruction and the demarcation of colonial districts left by the imperialist and how it bought changes to the native’s narrative about the landscape with respect to the post-humanism approach.