A Postcolonial Reading of Trevor Noah’s Born a Crime:

Abstract

People in South Africa are still suffering because of the apartheid system and the colonial era till today. This thesis discusses some of the consequences of colonialism related to non-white ethnicities in general and the mixed-race in particular. In order to conduct this study, postcolonial theory is applied on Trevor Noah’s Born a Crime (2016). In addition, this study attempts to shed light on the struggle of non-white people between internalizing oppression and resisting it. Furthermore, the thesis examines how these people internalize inferiority of their own culture and language. As a result, they imitate the colonizer creating a hybrid society. The focus of this thesis is also the study of the adaptation of Trevor along with his mother Patricia as outsiders in a racist patriarchal society. Finally, this study highlights the increase of violence, crimes and their relation to poverty.