History and subjective standpoints: postmodern reading of selected works of African fiction

Abstract

The modern world privileges history as an insightful source of information that may be relied on to inform decisions about the present and future. To uphold the modernist vision, historical nar- ratives influence many aspects of society, particularly the political sector. Further, modern nation states are founded on historical events, which establish the principles upon which the nations are founded. However, divergent voices argue that historical narratives are infused with subjective viewpoints, which render them unreli- able as sources of guidance for social institutions. Despite claims of utilizing scientific methods as sources of information, historical narratives may depend on the personal perspectives of the authors. This article interrogates the objectivity of historical narratives through examination of Abdi’s Offspring of Paradise (2003) and Farah’s Links (2004). The paper compares Abdi and Farah’s inter- pretation of the political events in Somalia as represented in the two primary texts. Using qualitative inquiry, I deploy narrative research to analyze data from primary and secondary texts. The study is anchored in the tenets of new historicism and postmodern- ism to facilitate the interrogation of history as a source of knowledge.