Published Paper Details:

This paper examines the themes of colonialism and identity in M.G. Vassanji's "The Book of Secrets" and Joseph Conrad's "Heart of Darkness". Its purpose is to demonstrate through close readings of these novels how the portrayal of colonial power dynamics and their respective effect on personal and communal identities within both the colonised and postcolonial are laid bare through narrative craft and historical context. Through Marlow's journey in the Congo, "Heart of Darkness" shows what European imperialism in Africa was like, showing the negative impacts it had on the oppressors and the oppressed. Conrad's use of the character Kurtz helps him to show how dark human nature can be and what the consequences are of letting one's own identity be used as a tool for exploitation by imperialists. Conversely, "The Book of Secrets" is a complicated study of colonial encounters in East Africa which fuses stories from various generations, it examines how colonialism influenced our way of understanding ourselves. Vassanji's storytelling art makes difficult concepts like hybridity between cultures and historical scars look simpler in understanding why a generation born after independence still lives under the shadow of its former colonizers today. The diary as well as people such as Pius Fernandes are used to demonstrate how memory relates to self-identity that comes after colonization. Through postcolonial theory and literary criticism, the aim here is to expand our understanding of literature concerned with colonialism and identity. This research seeks to demonstrate universal ideas concerning power, agency, and resistance embedded in both pre-colonial and post-colonial stories. Hence, this study adds to ongoing discussions about the long-term effects of imperialism also taking into account globalization complexities regarding constructing identities today.