Slow Violence and Sociocultural Degeneration in Helon Habila’s Oil on Water: An Ecocritical Study

Mohammed, Nada Osama Hamed; Ahmed, Alshaymaa Mohamed; Heikal, Azza Ahmed

doi:10.21608/opde.2023.298826

Slow Violence and Sociocultural Degeneration in Helon Habila’s Oil on Water: An Ecocritical Study

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

10.21608/opde.2023.298826

Abstract

With the unprecedented technological advancements and energy consumption taking place at the present times, it has become fundamental to address the repercussions of environmental degradation. The role of literature in raising environmental awareness is crucial. Therefore, the present paper aims to investigate Helon Habila’s Oil on Water using the concept of Slow Violence introduced by Rob Nixon in his 2011 book titled Slow Violence and the Environmentalism of the Poor. Slow Violence refers to the type of violence that is gradual and camouflaged. Due to its gradual nature, slow violence is often overlooked and unaddressed despite the fact that its repercussions often tantamount to direct and instant forms of violence. The novel, which is set in the environmentally devastated Niger Delta, follows journalist Rufus’ journey along the delta where he witnesses the plight of the local communities. This paper investigates the effect of oil extraction on the sociocultural degeneration of the local community, arguing that the slow violence of oil extraction surpasses the obvious consequences of poverty and diseases, going as far as disintegrating the local communities social and cultural unity. The paper focuses on three main manifestations of slow violence, which are territorial theft, devastation of aquatic bodies, and moral decay. Thus, the main argument this paper puts forth is that the slow violence caused by the oil mining activities does not only manifest itself as environmental degradation but also as sociocultural identity degeneration of the Niger Delta population.

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