Colonialism & Postcolonialism

With best-selling novels like Barbara Kingsolver's The Poisonwood Bible and influential academic texts such as Edward Said's Orientalism, this collection gathers books from across genres to explore the complex dynamics and lasting legacies of colonialism.

A Brief History of Seven Killings

by Marlon James

Publication year 2014

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Conflict, Fear, Hate & Anger, Loneliness, Memory, Revenge, Language, Race, Sexual Identity, Death, The Past, Place, Social Class, Colonialism, Community, Immigration, Nation, Politics & Government, War, Equality, Fame, Loyalty & Betrayal, Power & Greed, Wins & Losses

Tags Historical Fiction, Mystery & Crime Fiction, Colonialism & Postcolonialism, Afro-Caribbean Literature, Trauma & Abuse, Politics & Government

Published in 2014, A Brief History of Seven Killings is a literary crime novel by Jamaican writer Marlon James. To serve as the foundation for his novel, James builds the narrative around a singular historical event: the 1976 assassination attempt on Jamaican reggae singer Bob Marley, whom he fictionalizes as the Singer for thematic effect. James draws on his experiences growing up in Kingston, Jamaica, in the 1970s, and on his parents’ careers in law... Read A Brief History of Seven Killings Summary

Absolution

by Alice McDermott

Publication year 2023

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Memory, Guilt, Conflict, Femininity, Friendship, Colonialism, War

Tags Historical Fiction, Vietnam War, Military & War, World History, Fantasy

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A Century of Dishonor

by Helen Hunt Jackson

Publication year 1881

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Race, Place, Colonialism, Politics & Government, Nation, Justice, Loyalty & Betrayal, Indigenous Identity

Tags US History, Race & Racism, Colonial America, Grief & Death, Military & War, Politics & Government, Social Justice, World History

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A Dance of the Forests

by Wole Soyinka

Publication year 1963

Genre Play, Fiction

Themes Colonialism

Tags Postcolonial, Symbolic Narrative, History: African , Politics & Government, African Literature, Colonialism & Postcolonialism, African American Literature, Modern Classic Fiction, Dramatic Literature

Written and first performed in 1960 as part of the national celebrations of Nigeria’s independence from Britain, A Dance of the Forests features a unique combination of classically European dramatic elements and traditional Yoruba masquerade traditions which make the play resistant to both staging and traditional Western criticism. Since 1960, few attempts have been made to perform the play, due to its complexity and ambiguity. A Dance of the Forests presents an allegorical criticism of... Read A Dance of the Forests Summary

A Distant Episode

by Paul Bowles

Publication year 1947

Genre Short Story, Fiction

Themes Hate & Anger, Language, Colonialism, Fate

Tags Trauma & Abuse

“A Distant Episode,” a modernist short story by Paul Bowles, was first published in 1947 in The Partisan Review. It was one of Bowles’s first published works of fiction. The story follows an unnamed professor of linguistics as he undergoes a horrifying experience while travelling in the remote interior of Algeria.Paul Bowles was born in 1910 and grew up in New York City. He had already developed a reputation as an up-and-coming composer and music... Read A Distant Episode Summary

A Fable

by William Faulkner

Publication year 1955

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Perseverance, Fear, Hate & Anger, Grief, Death, Fate, Social Class, Colonialism, Politics & Government, War, Nation, Power & Greed, Religion & Spirituality, Order & Chaos, Appearance & Reality, Conflict

Tags Symbolic Narrative, Classic Fiction, Historical Fiction, World War I, Military & War, American Literature, World History

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Africa Kills Her Sun

by Ken Saro-Wiwa

Publication year 1975

Genre Short Story, Fiction

Themes Power & Greed, Death, Colonialism, Justice

Tags American Literature, Satirical Literature

“Africa Kills Her Sun” is a satirical short story by Nigerian author Ken Saro-Wiwa. Published in 1989 in the anthology Adaku and Other Stories, “Africa Kills Her Sun” takes the form of a letter, written in first-person present tense by the main character, Bana. Bana recounts his adult life—his career change, crimes, and remaining moments before execution—to his childhood girlfriend, Zole, whom he has not seen or spoken to in 10 years.Bana begins the letter... Read Africa Kills Her Sun Summary

Afterlives

by Abdulrazak Gurnah

Publication year 2020

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Colonialism, Marriage, War, Femininity, Race

Tags Historical Fiction, Military & War, Colonialism & Postcolonialism, Race & Racism, Trauma & Abuse, World History

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A Girl Called Samson

by Amy Harmon

Publication year 2019

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Perseverance, Love, Femininity, Gender Identity, Death, Colonialism, War, Justice, Emotions/Behavior: Courage

Tags US History, Military & War, World History, Historical Fiction, Romance, American Revolution

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A Hanging

by George Orwell

Publication year 1931

Genre Essay / Speech, Nonfiction

Themes Justice, Colonialism, Death

Tags Asian History, European History, Politics & Government, Education, Education, British Literature, World History, Classic Fiction

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Ahimsa

by Supriya Kelkar

Publication year 2017

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Politics & Government, Social Class, Community, Nation, Equality, Justice, Good & Evil, Order & Chaos, Religion & Spirituality, Power & Greed, Truth & Lies, Colonialism, Education, Family

Tags Historical Fiction, Social Justice, Social Class, Education, World History, Asian History, European History, Incarceration, Politics & Government, Children`s Literature, Indian Literature, Arts & Culture

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A History of the World in Seven Cheap Things

by Raj Patel

Publication year 2017

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Economics, Environment, Femininity, Race, Social Class, Colonialism, Globalization, Nation, Politics & Government, Power & Greed, Community

Tags Business & Economics, World History, Politics & Government, Social Justice, Education, Education, Science & Nature

A History of the World in Seven Cheap Things: A Guide to Capitalism, Nature, and the Future of the Planet (2017) is a nonfiction book written by Raj Patel, a political economist and professor at the University of Texas at Austin, also known for Stuffed and Starved (2007), and Jason W. Moore, an environmental historian and associate professor at Binghamton University. The authors’ expertise in political economy and environmental history provides a unique perspective on... Read A History of the World in Seven Cheap Things Summary