Conflicts and Struggles in the Shadow of Colonialism: A Corpus-based Study of Address Terms in Gurnah’s Paradise

Abstract

This paper employs a research methodology based on corpus linguistics, utilizing the corpus retrieval software AntConc focusing on the address terms in Abdulrazak Gurnah's novel Paradise. It's found that under the shadow of colonialism, conflicts become inevitable and pronounced. Even though, amid various conflicts, the colonized individuals with different races, religions, and identity backgrounds are not deeply entrenched in conflicts. Instead, they choose to struggle for survival, love and belief. The coexistence of cruelty and warmth, opposition and harmony, conflicts and struggles collectively shapes the complex and diverse socio-cultural situation in the region under colonial shadows.