Neo-Colonialist critique of Hamid's The Reluctant Fundamentalist and Kincaid's A Small Place: A Comparative Postcolonial Study

Abstract

With a specific focus on two different novels from different continents, the study analyzes the current American neocolonialist hegemonic behavior, which is causing developing countries to remain in a doldrum. The data is based upon the comparative analysis of selected textual paragraphs taken from Hamid's The Reluctant Fundamentalist and Kincaid's A Small Place. Both Mohsin Hamid and Jamaica Kincaid assert that due to the American neo-colonialist regime, indigenous cultures of so many countries of the African and Asian continent have suffered a lot. Theoretical insights for this research have been drawn from Kwame Nkrumah's concept of neo-colonialism. Nkrumah defined neocolonialism as the exploitation of former colonial subjects by European conquerors for political, economic, cultural, ideological, and military gain. The research concludes that although with the inception of the United Nations Organization the colonialism has formally come to an end still the American neo-colonial supremacy is disturbing the people of once colonized countries through various economic, political, and ideological maneuverings.