Erasure and Ecological Narratives: An Ecolinguistic Reading of The Headstrong Historian

Abstract

This article reflects upon Adichie's The Headstrong Historian (2008) through an ecolinguistic review considering Stibbe's (2015) concept of erasure. Ecolinguistics is the study of language as it relates to human interactions with culture, identity, and the environment. Stibbe states that erasure occurs when language removes, covers, or otherwise dilutes significant aspects of life, thereby obscuring or weakening the discursive dimensions of life, leading the public to consider such facets unworthy of attention. This study aims to illustrate the narrative's depiction of the neglect of indigenous ecological knowledge resulting from colonialism. The study illustrates a range of erasures, including deletion, silence, covering, and naturalizing or backgrounding. Such patterns arise when colonial agents rename the Igbo, dismiss their rituals, silence women, distort the faith of the locals, and promote alien education as the only valid knowledge. Such erasures dilute the ecological ties the Igbo people had with their land, descendants, and traditions. This study adopts a qualitative textual analysis to capture how the narrative constructs these patterns. It concluded that colonial discourse constructs a unique narrative that appears concealed when it seeks to marginalize indigenous ecological discourse. After analysing her work, the author argues that Adichie shows how language can erase ecological and cultural knowledge, highlighting the importance of silencing and reclaiming indigenous voices.