Abstract

The present study puts under scrutiny James Riley’s Authentic Narrative to investigate the multiple instances where he discursively describes the Sahrawi nomads in the nineteenth century. The importance of such an examination lies in the richness and complexity of Riley’s interesting narrative. This study aims to examine Riley’s prejudicial observations of the nomads of the Sahara. Hence, the study is pulled toward postcolonial criticism, its concepts, and theories to decipher the different stereotypes, images, patterns, and constructions used by one of the most influential symbols in the American milieu. This study attempts to fill the research gap from which Riley is ultimately absent. A national American symbol such as James Riley is found in a variety of geographical surveys, adventurous books, and historical documentation, and this necessitates that the researcher shed light on his overlooked influence. Overall, this study focuses on how Riley represents the Sahrawi nomads as “savage,” “mythic,” “barbaric,” and “inhumane.”