Examining the Representation of History in Hausa Historical Fiction: A Critical Study of Selected Novels

Historical fiction in Hausa language engages with the pre-colonial, colonial, and early post-independence periods of northern Nigerian history, constructing narrative versions of the past that both draw on and diverge from scholarly historiography. This study critically examines how history is represented in contemporary Hausa historical fiction, analysing the narrative strategies through which historical events, figures, and social contexts are constructed, evaluated, and given meaning. A literary historical criticism design was employed, applying close textual reading and historiographic analysis to five Hausa historical novels published between 2019 and 2024. Each novel was evaluated for historical accuracy relative to documented historical sources, narrative ideology regarding colonial encounters and pre-colonial social organisation, representation of gender and class in historical settings, and the political implications of historical framing choices. Secondary literature on historical fiction theory and Hausa historical writing informed the analytical framework. Interviews with the authors of three novels provided authorial perspective data. Findings reveal that Hausa historical fiction engages substantively with the Fulani jihad period, the colonial encounter, and the emirate political tradition, with novels diverging significantly in their ideological framing of these events. Colonial experiences are predominantly narrated as disruption and loss, while pre-colonial social hierarchies are romanticised in ways that downplay internal inequalities of gender and class. The study recommends that Hausa literary courses engage with historiographic critique as part of historical fiction analysis. Keywords: Hausa historical fiction, Literary criticism, Historical representation, Novels, Historiography.