Material Culture as Subaltern Resistance in Paradise by Abdulrazak Gurnah
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.31305/rrijm.2026.v11.n07.027Keywords:
Abdulrazak Gurnah, Paradise, Material Culture, Subaltern Resistance, Trade Networks, Religious Objects, Colonialism, Indigenous Knowledge, Cultural Preservation, Postcolonial LiteratureAbstract
This paper argues that Abdulrazak Gurnah’s Paradise employs depictions of material culture as a sophisticated mode of subaltern resistance against encroaching colonial power in East Africa. Through close textual analysis, it demonstrates how Gurnah transforms everyday objects and practices, like gardens, trade networks, religious artefacts, and bodily adornment, into potent sites of cultural preservation and political contestation. Cultivated spaces, described as containing “palms and orange trees, and even pomegranates,” directly challenge colonial narratives of “empty” land. Trade is portrayed not as primitive economics but as essential cultural continuity, countering colonial denigration. Objects like the “brownstone rosary” and theological concepts become repositories of alternative epistemologies resisting colonial dominance. By examining characters like Yusuf navigating hierarchies through material practices rather than overt politics, the study reveals how subaltern communities articulate resistance through the fabric of daily life. It concludes that Gurnah presents resistance operating beneath colonial recognition, positioning paradise not just as theology, but as a material reality constructed through persistent cultural practice, offering a nuanced contribution to postcolonial studies.
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