الفهرس 
Chapter One: The Theoretical Framework ofOnly 14 pages are availabe for public view
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Abstract
During the periods of massive change like the post
revolution or the post-independence periods, there appear different
and opposing ideologies that contradict each other. Those opposing
ideologies have devastating influences upon the illiterate social
subjects who cannot grasp their essence. Such opposing ideologies
can make the illiterate question their set of values.
The thesis entitled “The Ideology of the Illiterate: A Marxist
Reading of Okot p’ Bitek’s ‘Song of Lawino’ (1966) and Abdul
Rahman Alabnudi’s ‘The Letters of Ḥiraaji il-guṬ’” (1969). The
thesis explores how the illiterate adopt or reject different beliefs via
an implicit process that depends mostly upon experiencing and
practicing. It also focuses on how the illiterate characters of both
texts use their indigenous ideology as a touchstone to judge any
changes occurring in their societies.
The thesis also highlights the role of both Okot p’Bitek and
Abdul Rahman Alabnudi as two committed poets who propagate
the ideology they believe in through what Engels calls tendentious
writing. In p’ Bitek’s case, the main ideology propagated is the
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appropriateness of the African culture to the African land as well
as nationalism facing neo-colonialism; Alabnudi on the other hand
seems to adopt a semi-socialist pro-proletariat ideology. By doing
so, both poets help in reshaping their readers’ consciousness.
To illustrate the ideology of the illiterate in the two works of
art and the role of the different ISAs and the intellectuals in this
process, the thesis is divided into four chapters and a conclusion.
Chapter one is an introductory chapter that exhibits the
theoretical framework of reference. It illustrates the attempts of
different thinkers to define ‘ideology’ and introduces the sense in
which the researcher uses the term while defining other terms used
in the thesis. The reasons behind choosing both texts are also
clarified in this introductory chapter.
Chapter two entitled “Lawino the Nationalist Sage
Exposing Colonial Capitalism” is dedicated to illustrating the
effect of colonial capitalism in reshaping the consciousness of the
working class via the ISAs and their representatives; this should
enable the reader to grasp the essence of the Ugandan text Song of
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Lawino. The chapter attempts to show how Lawino acts as a
nationalist sage resisting colonial capitalist powers, their mode of
production and their exploitation of the Acoli people.
Chapter three entitled “New Consciousness of the Egyptian
Illiterate Proletariat” is dedicated to exploring the effects of the
1952 Revolution and its socio-economic consequences upon the
Egyptian couple Ḥiraaji il-guṬ and his wife FaṬnah Ahmed Abdel
Ghɑffɑɑr whose exchange of letters constitutes Abdul Rahman
Alabnudi’s The Letters of Ḥiraaji il-guṬ. The chapter explores how
the illiterate acquire ideology in an implicit manner based upon
observing and toiling. It investigates whether those illiterate
proletariat are aware or unaware of the changes that the revolution
brought. The chapter also explores the ways they re-view and reform their beliefs as a result of these changes. The chapter
introduces both Ḥiraaji and FaṬnah as advocates of a cultural
revolution in their village that is a symbol of Egypt as a whole in a
transitional moment.
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Chapter four entitled “Different Faces Same Features: Song
of Lawino Compared to The Letters of Ḥiraaji il-guṬ”, a
comparison between the different cultures and ideologies affecting
the illiterate characters is given by the researcher to illustrate the
process through which the consciousness of the illiterate is being
reformed. The chapter also highlights the role of the form and
language of both texts in studying the ideology of the illiterate.
Comparisons between the different characters of the texts and their
authors are given in this chapter.
Chapter four asserts that both Song of Lawino and The
Letters of Ḥiraaji il-guṬ belong to the category of tendentious
literature written by two committed poets, p’ Bitek and Alabnudi.
The conclusion sums up the findings of the thesis and asserts
that the illiterate re-form their ideology in an implicit manner that
depends upon noticing and experiencing while using their
indigenous ideology as a touchstone