2026 IJRSE – Volume 15 Issue 14
Available Online: 9 June 2026
Author/s:
Gundow, Jacob Moisob
St Louis College of Education, Kumasi, Ghana (gundow17@gmail.com)
Abstract:
This paper examines Amma Darko’s Beyond the Horizon (1995) as a postcolonial feminist critique of colonial desire, psychological alienation, and the collapse of the European dream. Drawing on Fanon’s concept of colonial desire and Bhabha’s theory of mimicry, the analysis traces protagonist Mara’s trajectory from rural Ghana to forced prostitution in Germany, demonstrating how internalized whiteness as a psychological pathology operates hierarchically among Africans and culminates in the commodification of women’s bodies. The novel systematically dismantles the myth of Europe as a site of redemption, revealing migration not as empowerment but as disempowerment embedded in patriarchal and neocolonial structures. Beyond literary analysis, this study establishes significant educational relevance: it offers a pedagogical model for decolonizing curricula, fostering critical global citizenship, and integrating postcolonial theory with social justice education. The text serves as a tool for developing students’ cultural literacy, ethical reasoning, and understanding of systemic exploitation. Findings indicate that Darko’s novel addresses multiple Sustainable Development Goals including gender equality, decent work, reduced inequalities and provides a framework for interdisciplinary teaching across literary studies, gender studies, and migration discourse. Ultimately, the paper argues that Beyond the Horizon functions not only as literature but as an indispensable educational resource for confronting contemporary neocolonial realities.
Keywords: colonial desire, technological alienation, migration, Fanon, Bhabha, postcolonial feminism, Amma Darko, Beyond the Horizon
DOI: https://doi.org/10.5861/ijrse.2026.26256
Cite this article:
Gundow, J. M. (2026). Beyond the horizon of whiteness: Colonial desire, psychological alienation and the collapse of the European dream in Amma Darko’s Beyond the Horizon (1995). International Journal of Research Studies in Education, 15(14), 111-123. https://doi.org/10.5861/ijrse.2026.26256