Fragmentation As An Allegory Of The Somali Nation In Nuruddin Farah’s Maps

Abstract

This study sought to critically analyse whether fragmentation has been employed as an allegory of the Somali nation in Nuruddin Farah’s Maps. The objectives of this study were to critically evaluate the use of fragmentation of the plot in the novel, to interrogate fragmentation of the character bodies in relation to the Somali nation, and to establish the correlation between fragmented narrative voices and the Somali nation in the novel. The rationale for my study was partly informed by the foregrounding of fragmentation which has been used allegorically in Maps. I chose Nuruddin Farah because he has lived in the Somali culture which he has written about thus he has a sharp focus on Somalia’s political and social structures, and I selected Maps as ideal for study on fragmentation as an allegory of the Somali nation since it is more reflective in terms of presenting images of fragmentation compared to other works of Nuruddin Farah. I limited myself to Maps through a close reading to find out how fragmentation has been used as an allegory of the Somali nation. I did a review of works on fragmentation, nationalism and allegory by the same and other writers to form a background for my study. The study employed the postmodern literary theory, psychoanalytic theory and narratology as critical approaches in order to help me interpret data. This study established that the fragmented text is an analogue of a fragmented Somali society which is contrary to the popular belief that the Somalis are unified by their collective identity, that Somali is defined by communal multiplicities which are represented in Maps by fragmented narrative voices, and that a fragmented Somali society should be celebrated as a basis of forming a multicultural Somali nation.