Theories and Concepts
Theories proposed by Frantz Fanon in can help examine epistemic violence within both Ourika and Things Fall Apart. The video above offers a brief introduction to some of his work in his book Black Skin White Masks. Fanon discusses what cultural assimilation means in a colonial context. As stated in the video, he believes that this form of cultural dominance is inherently racist, because it “forced colonial subjects to renounce their own culture and essentially take on a different identity: that of a white person”.
We see this happen to a certain extent in Things Fall Apart. Okonkwo is rejecting this idea of cultural assimilation. Because he rejects it, there is no place for him in this new and forming colonial society. While other members of Okonkwo’s village to not resist the assimilation as much, as they adopt their religious practices and forms of governance.
We also see this theme present in Ourika. Ourika is forced to assimilate into french society because she is raised french. However, one day she realizes that she is incapable of fully assimilating because she can never be white. (The video also explains this concept with the scenario of Lucas trying to be like Martin.) The video explains that when Lucas is faced with reality he “finds it alienating and traumatic”. Ourika very clearly experiences this when she is faced with her reality.
We see this happen to a certain extent in Things Fall Apart. Okonkwo is rejecting this idea of cultural assimilation. Because he rejects it, there is no place for him in this new and forming colonial society. While other members of Okonkwo’s village to not resist the assimilation as much, as they adopt their religious practices and forms of governance.
We also see this theme present in Ourika. Ourika is forced to assimilate into french society because she is raised french. However, one day she realizes that she is incapable of fully assimilating because she can never be white. (The video also explains this concept with the scenario of Lucas trying to be like Martin.) The video explains that when Lucas is faced with reality he “finds it alienating and traumatic”. Ourika very clearly experiences this when she is faced with her reality.
Both books are very powerful examples of epistemic violence during the colonial era. If we are to label the protagonists as subaltern, then we can argue that Okonkwo’s voice was silenced by the District Commissioner. We can also argue that Ourika’s voice was taken from her by her adoptive family. However, since Ourika was written by a white woman, it is potentially problematic from a discursive perspective because it was not based on real experiences. I also want to be careful to view these texts as a the end-all-be-all examples of experiences of epistemic violence. Spivak warns against that, as the video above points out. I believe that Things Fall Apart is potentially more able to recover the voices of the oppressed.
Conclusions
Both main characters in Ourika and Things Fall Apart experience epistemic violence. This attack on their epistemes shapes their lives in similar ways. Though both Ourika and Okonkwo have very different lived experiences of colonialism, their stories are shaped by colonialism. While Ourika is taken from her native land and raised in a society to which she will never belong, Okonkwo is confronted with his way of life taken from him. The actions of the white, western characters in each of the novels eventually lead to the demise of the protagonists. We see epistemic violence shape their narratives as being stories of tragedy.