Alienation and Regression in Postcolonial Societies: A Comparative Study of the Novels Salina and Memories of Underdevelopment

Abstract

This study compares A. Samad Said’s Salina and Edmundo Desnoes’ Memories of Underdevelopment to examine the themes of identity, regression, and social transformation within postcolonial and postrevolutionary societies. The study is significant as both texts portray the universal experience of societies that appear politically liberated yet remain bound by inherited colonial power structures and mentalities. Salina, set in post–World War II Malaysia, depicts the suffering of an urban marginalised community burdened by poverty and the lingering effects of colonial history. Meanwhile, Memories of Underdevelopment highlights the identity crisis of a Cuban intellectual torn between revolutionary ideals and social realities. Drawing upon Edward Said’s postcolonial theory, particularly the concepts of power discourse and representation in Orientalism (1978), the study explores how colonial domination persists in new forms of economy, culture, and psychology, even after political change. The selection of these two novels is justified as both examine the failure of social transformation to liberate their societies from the legacy of old power structures. Ultimately, this study enriches global postcolonial discourse by connecting Asian and Latin American experiences and emphasising the role of literature as a critical medium to understand the relationship between history, power, and the construction of identity. 

Full text: PDF