Vol. 4 (2) Dec. 2022

Article ID. JHSSR-1155-2022

Anti-Imperial Discourse and Fallacies of Colonial Ideology in Burmese Days

Hadi S. Jobeihi

Keywords:

Orwell, colonizer, colonized, British, empire, Burmese

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Abstract:

This article surveys the representation of colonial practices and ideologies in George Orwell’s Burmese Days (1934). The objective of this study is to investigate the frames in which the novel portrays imperialism and colonialism. It highlights the anti-imperial aspects of Burmese Days and exposes the atrocities of colonialism in Burma. Moreover, the study focuses on the fallacies of colonial ideology, a hypothesis which is the center of its investigation. It concludes that Burmese Days opposes colonialism, its methods, and mentality, yet there are major setbacks to this opposition as evident in the inconsistencies in its anti-imperial discourse, the use of racist language, and the stereotypical representation of the natives.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.37534/bp.jhssr.2022.v4.n2.id1155.p97