Cultural appropriation in Ndibe’s Foreign Gods, Inc. (2014): A corpus stylistic analysis
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.53696/27753719.62365Keywords:
commercialisation, corpus stylistics, cultural identity, migration, WmatrixAbstract
This study employs a corpus stylistics approach to examine the themes of cultural appropriation and migration in Okey Ndibe’s Foreign Gods, Inc. Using Wmatrix software, the study explored semantic domains to reveal the novel’s thematic and stylistic features. The study identified two dominant themes: religious and cultural commodification in a globalised world, and economic disparities and post-colonial power dynamics. These themes point to the tension between traditional religious values and the commercialisation of cultural heritage. The analysis also highlighted the economic motivations behind migration and the power imbalances in the global art market. The study contributes to the growing field of corpus stylistics in African literature. It concludes that Ndibe’s novel offers a critique of how globalisation and capitalism transform sacred cultural heritage into commodities, raising questions about cultural identity preservation in a post-colonial context.
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