Details

Autor(en) / Beteiligte

• Masha, Lethabo
• Mogoboya, Mphoto J

Titel

A Stiwanist analysis of female figures of academia in Emecheta and Adichie's selected novels

Ist Teil von

• Literator, 2024, Vol.45 (1), p.1-10

Ort / Verlag

Potchefstroom: African Online Scientific Information Systems (Pty) Ltd t/a AOSIS

Erscheinungsjahr

2024

Quelle

EZB Electronic Journals Library

Beschreibungen/Notizen

• According to the Stiwanist theory, colonialism, oppressive traditional structures, and African men (sometimes women too) can all impede social reform and contribute to gender inequality in Africa. Various studies highlight the importance of formal education in contributing to the emancipation of women in contemporary societies, despite challenges brought by the aforementioned obstacles. The choice to discuss two highly esteemed African female novelists who are from different generations of writers is imperative in tracking the evolution of formal female education in lightening the patriarchal weight in black societies. Through a close reading and thematic analysis of Emecheta's Double Yoke and Adichie's Purple Hibiscus, this study shows that despite being confronted with sexist resistance in Nigeria between the 1970s and 1980s, black female university lecturers such as Miss Bulewao and Ifeoma serve as agents of socio-economic transformation cultivated by egalitarianism. In addition, the discussion on Obinze's mother in Adichie's Americanah highlights that while there are systems which are counter women's liberation stemming from society's sexist ideologies, the 21st century is showing an adjustment to the implications of the newly-educated African woman, especially as a professional and mother.