Hi everyone, this week’s reading is Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe. The book is about the Igbo people and how colonialism and Western culture affected their lives. Colonialism has always had a tendency to harm the people that are being colonized and this is also the case with the Igbo people. In this book a common theme is how traditions and culture face an impending change due to European influence.
Western culture has a tendency to be very dominating in nature, for example when colonists went to other countries, they forced the natives to assimilate to Western culture and when immigrants immigrate to Western countries, they are expected to assimilate to the cultures and traditions there. Due to the dominating nature of Western cultures and traditions, many immigrants end up in a position where they try to battle the changes they are experiencing causing a great deal of inner turmoil.
These feelings of distress are also found in Okonkwo who tries to resist the changes that are occurring around him while also trying to adapt to the changing environment that surrounds him. The Igbo tribe has many cultures that were challenged when the colonists arrived such as having no government or ruler that had full control over the tribe, but instead a communal decision making policy.
Another part of their identity that changed when put under European influence was their religion. Traditional Igbo religion has a creator god named either Chukwu or Chineke, and also an earth goddess named Ala, along with deities and spirits and ancestors who would protect their living descendants. Their religion, as ancient as it was, was affected by Christainity and there were many instances where the Igbo people ended up converting to Christainity as the Western influence grew stronger and stronger.
The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica. “Igbo.” Encyclopædia Britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., 22 May 2020, www.britannica.com/topic/Igbo.
“Igbo Culture & Traditions: Igbo Cultural Organisation Rheinland-Pfalz – Hessen E.V., IGBO Wiesbaden – Mainz.” Icogermany, 27 Oct. 2018, icogermany.de/igbo-culture-traditions/.
Skerry, Peter. “Do We Really Want Immigrants to Assimilate?” Brookings, Brookings, 28 July 2016, www.brookings.edu/articles/do-we-really-want-immigrants-to-assimilate/.
I enjoyed reading your presentation and thought it was very informative. I found it interesting that you brought up how Igbo people would abandoned their religion because of Western cultures. I think this is a great example of the power of Western colonizers that I never would have thought of. I am interested to find out how the Igbo tribes fight the Western influence in their homeland.
Parshvi,
Your context research presentation was fascinating to me. I think so much of the plot of “Things Fall Apart” relates to what Adichie outlined as the “danger of a single story.” Growing up in a fairly white school district within suburban Ohio, I didn’t have much of an opportunity to learn about the rich cultural history of Africa, but it was a joy to learn about that through the eyes of Chinua Achebe. It is so frustrating and sad how the Europeans colonized Africa, attempting to erase their heritage and impose their own religion and languages. How ethnocentric they must have been, to see another way of life and immediately deem it inferior. I think we need to make an effort to read the works of Africans telling the story of their experiences in Africa, not white settlers. Great work!
I am super glad I wasn’t the only one who made the connection between Adichie and “Things Fall Apart”. The danger of a single story sadly contributes to the majority of our history and the stories that are told. These stories don’t often portray the true heritage, culture, and ideals of these individuals. I am also frustrated by this and feel as though, it is still occurring and extremely prevalent today. There is still much work to be done in order for us to truly recognize and respect the multiple cultures, religions, languages, and ideals. I hope that more education and resources can go into teaching these stories for the younger children. Great analysis!
Hi,
Great job of connecting the ideas of colonialism of the western world to the text for the week. Your research reminded me of some of the hardships that colonials did to the native people and how western culture is so predominant still today. It never occurred to me that immigrants could have such challenges due to the ideas of western culture being extremely prevalent. Also, great connection to the ideas of religion prior to the colonization. I couldn’t imagine new people taking over and trying to change or influence what was already there and what I believed in.
Hi Parshvi,
Great job at summarizing a very complex idea! I loved the last paragraph where i was able to learn more about the complex Igbo culture. I was most fascinated by your take on Western colonialism, more specifically when you said western culture tends to be very dominating in nature. Is there such thing as colonizing with out being dominating? Are there examples of eastern cultures colonizing without being dominating? I also am well aware that in the U.S. many minorities are expected to assimilate to the American lifestyle however is this American lifestyle exclusive to the U.S or is it really an extension of the old European countries that were once considered west?
Great interpretation and summary, Parshvi!
I completely agree on the idea that Western colonialism can be very dominating in nature and impacts virtually all aspects of the natives’ life. The Igbo people were just one example of many of how colonialism forces assimilation. My question is, how does the assimilation of the Igbo people differ from that of other cases?
Hey! So this is just my thought but I think the reason the assimilation of Igbo people is slightly different than other cases is because the Igbo people are not as well known. For example there are many other countries where Europeans came to colonize such as India, but India never lost its religion or stories when the Europeans arrived. I think because the Igbo people were less well known, they ended up losing more of their identity when they were forced to assimilate.
Parshvi,
I enjoyed your presentation and how you were able to zoom outward and look at some of the patterns that the clashing of cultures displayed in the book. In particular, this reminded me of Aijaz Ahmad’s critique on Jameson’s rhetoric on Otherness and “the Third World”.
Hello Parshvi,
Thank you for sharing these interesting information here. Like you mentioned, The West did have a profound impact on many colonies. This post also reminds me. during the colonial era, the world’s powers robbed colonies one after another, and fought for it. In this competition, Africa has also become the object of contention, and in the end, France has become the main colonist in Africa. Therefore, many countries in Africa have a lot of French elements in language, political system, urban construction style, etc. They have unexplainable complex emotions between them, and France still has a lot of influence on Africa.
Hi!
I really loved your response to this presentation! I think it is important for us to recognize the power certain countries felt they had over others and essentially “robbed” them as you mentioned in your comment. It is definitely interesting to see how much power France still has over Africa. Understanding this connection is significant to figuring out how to prevent this situation further! Nice analysis!
Hello,
Great analysis Parshvi. I found it interesting how Okonkwo was resisting the changes that was occurring around him and trying to adapt to the environment. It seems nearly impossible to be able to resist yet adapt. I didn’t even think about how religion was neglected by the Igbo. With the colonization of the westerners it’s difficult to really find an identity when it’s the westerners dominate.
I think you did a good job pointing out just how pervasive colonialism is on many aspects of life for those being colonized. It isn’t just that they are being ruled over by a different group of people, but their government, religion, and overall culture is shifted to reflect the views of the colonialists, who often think they are doing a favor to the colonized by “modernizing” them, even though their previous way of life worked just fine for them.
Hello Parshvi,
Thank you for your sharing about the reading, Things Fall Apart, by Chinua Achebe. As it said in the article, Colonialism had a profound effect on the culture of the colonized countries. Opposite to the reading, I was thinking that whether there are some positive effects by colonialism? Maybe it could also improve the local economy?
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Hey Parshvi,
I really like some of the points you made here and it really made me think! One of the big things it made me think about it was the role of missionaries and questioning if they are morally right. A lot of times western missionaries, in particular, impose religion, usually, some form of Christianity on people who we think are being “led in the wrong direction”. I believe we have no right to do this and it is wrong. I like how you make the point of how when we westerners come to a region we expect the people living there to “play by our rules” which is really crazy now that I think deeper about it. Lastly, this made me realize why there is such tension when foreigners come to our land and are expected to change the way they go about there lives. If we Americans were put in a situation like this there would be just as much tension. If we didn’t try to control and influence the people who settle in our country as much, I feel like we would have much less conflict on our hands.
Hi,
In my opinion, I think your article is very comprehensive and interesting. Now there are many colonies, and I want to naturalize the local culture. For example, in Montreal, Canada, most people still speak French. There are many such incidents in Africa. I am very interested in how Okonkwo resisted the changes around me, wanted to resist but had to adapt. With more and more Western colonization, the local people may be assimilated and forget their original beliefs. Because they are all influenced by Western culture. This article is very good.
Hi Parshvi,
I liked how you used the example of Western societies colonizing to connect to the reading for the week. It is no secret that Western societies continue to exert their dominance over smaller communities. It is awful that this leads to groups of people losing their history that makes them them. And when the smaller community fights, their voice is diminished. It pains me to think that people lost the religion they chose to follow. Religion means something different to everyone, and I find it awful to make someone choose between assimilating to a new culture and beliefs or death.
I really enjoyed reading your blog presentation and I found it very informative. I really liked how you included the information about western cultures. It is very understandable that people like Okonkwo would want to resist this change in their culture because they somewhat lose their identity because they have their own god already and are being pursuaded to follow another which I think is wrong. We should respect others religion and not try to persuade any other belief on others.
I liked the context you’ve given us about the reading. I liked that you gave examples of different ways the colonization affected the Igbo people, including both daily life and religion. I think it is important to mention religion, because that is such a vulnerable and sacred part of people’s lives. It is what a lot of people hold closest to their heart, so it is important to mention how that aspect of culture becomes under attack during colonization. I also like how you touched on the internal dilemma Okonkwo faces, because this is a central idea to the book. I also think it is understandable that he experiences that internal conflict, because I’m sure it is extremely difficult to have your culture be taken over by another. Good work, Parshvi!
Thank you for your presentation on the Igbo people and tribe. Whole reading all of these presentations, the information given is mostly the same which helps when trying to understand the concepts fully. I think you guys did a really good job explaining this tribe and the book this week.
Hi Parshvi! Thank you for this presentation this week. I really enjoyed reading your breakdown of the reading Things Fall Apart. I liked your comment about immigrants battling changes and how it causes turmoil for them. This is an extremely true statement and I am glad you shared it because it is something that needs attention. Thanks again for your great analysis!
Thanks for sharing. I think the content you share can connect what we have read before. Western colonial ideology tends to force other cultures to abandon their own culture to learn Western culture. It has a greater impact on countries with lagging productivity. I think this can be connected with “power” and “other”.
Thanks for briefly introducing the context of this reading. I agree with your idea that the people who was colonized faced distress. Their living and what they had were threatened and harmed. In addition, thanks for telling us the original religion of Igbo people. I believe that it was very painful for them to adopt to a new religion, and that process might confused them.
Hi Parshvi,
I really liked how you brought up the common theme of traditions and culture face an impending change due to European influence. I thought your dive into that and the dominance of Western culture was very interesting! I thought you did a very nice job on your presentation! Good job!
Hi Parshvi,
I find interesting how you described to power of the western culture in relation to the story. How the dominance affects the people in a way that most don’t notice clearly. As you stated in your presentation the clear example of Okonkwo who was trying to battle the changes that were happening while everyone else assimilated. What impacted me the most of your presentation was the great example of the Western culture and how easily you were able to tie it together with what happened in these different tribes.
Hi Parshvi,
I thought it was very interesting how the Igbo people are so influenced by Western Culture like you said. It was interesting to see how quickly the Igbo people began to dissociate from their beliefs which they have only ever known. Okonkwo was an exception to this and tried battling the changes that were happening around him. I think this is a very good representation of how the events of the British colonization transpired. We see that even when Okonkwo tried his hardest, in the end it lead to his demise.