Reframing Trauma, Colonial and Postwar Violence in Achebe’s Things Fall Apart and Saadawi’s Frankenstein in Baghdad

Abstract

This paper argues that the postcolonial trauma theory is an invaluable analytical tool for understanding the psychological and cultural effects of colonialism and war in both novels Things Fall Apart (1958) by Chinua Achebe (1930–2013) and Frankenstein in Baghdad (2013) by Ahmed Saadawi born (1973–). Although the Western theory of trauma tends to focus on the patient's suffering, it ignores the group and historical levels of trauma in the postcolonial world. The study is based on a qualitative comparative literary analysis, close reading of narrative form, characterization, and thematic representations of the portrayal of trauma. Putting it in the context of postcolonialism, the paper will show how Achebe depicts the psychological destruction of the Igbo community in the face of colonial invasion, and how Saadawi allegorizes the insanity of post-invasion Iraq by giving life to a monstrous character as an embodiment of national identity disintegration. The results support the need to decolonize the discourse of trauma and indicate the long-lasting psychological impacts of imperialism and war on individuals and communities. The study is grounded in a qualitative comparative literary methodology, integrating postcolonial theory and trauma studies, and applies close textual analysis to investigate the psychological and cultural representations of trauma in both texts.