Neo-Colonialism in Post-Colonial literature: a comparative study of Achebe’s anthills of the Savannah and Algosaibi’s sab’a (seven)

This study has been conducted & submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirement for the Master degree in Literature in the Department of English, College of Arts, King Saud University, 1428H - 2007GThe thesis discusses the issue of neo- colonialism as presented in post-colonial discourse and as expressed by the Saudi writer, Ghazi Algosaibi, and by the Nigerian writer, Chinua Achebe, stressing the similarities in their works (without ignoring the differences) so as to draw attention to the fact that the former writer's text, contrary to the general view of Saudi literature, also deals with post- colonial issues. Neo- colonialism is one of the remaining residues of colonialism. By neo-colonialism, theorists mean the colonialism that happens not from outside a country but from within. Both writers observe that some of the educated elites of the newly independent state, who were brought to power by independence and often educated and trained by the colonialist powers, were unrepresentative of the people. These new elites, by exploiting the common people and their land, act like the previous colonizer. The reason behind the choice of these two specific writers is the resemblance I have noticed in Algosibi's novel, Sab'a (Seven), and Achebe's novel Anthills of the Savannah. Each writer creates a fictional country in his novel through which he presents characters that reflect the author's views of the independent nation. The research shows that both writers appear to believe that women at present are important characters in the newly independent nation. Both Achebe and Algosaibi present woman as the educated female who is not subjugated to male dominance, and who is actively contributing to the nationalist struggle. Also, both writers have employed myth and different patterns of archetypal motifs in their novels. They present their novels in the form of a myth because this form persists, for many post-colonial writers, as a memory of the past and as a disruption of the present. Finally, this comparison intended to show that Algosaibi's novel and Achebe's novel present similar themes and characters. Thus, it proved that Algosaibi also discusses post- colonial issues in his writings, thereby marking a taming point in Saudi literature. However, this is the first study that investigates Algosaibi's novel Sab'a (Seven) from a post- colonial perspective