8 research outputs found
La letteratura femminista contemporanea nigeriana: prospettive transnazionali e linguistiche stilistiche
No full textLa crescente visibilità delle autrici e autorə dell’Africa sub-sahariana nel panorama letterario internazionale ha suscitato un notevole interesse per le narrazioni che esplorano le intersezioni tra identità, migrazione, cultura e plurilinguismo. Con l’obiettivo di esaminare questi testi letterari e il contesto mercatoriale letterario nel quale vengono disseminati, il presente progetto di ricerca si è incentrato sull’analisi delle peculiarità che contraddistinguono la scrittura ibrida e plurilingue di sette autrici nigeriane e un autorə non binariə: Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, Taiye Selasi, Yejide Kilanko, Sefi Atta, Helen Oyeyemi, Akwaeke Emezi, Chinelo Okparanta e Chika Unigwe.
Mediante l’utilizzo di un approccio interdisciplinare che integra gli studi sulla migrazione transnazionale, sul femminismo transnazionale, la stilistica e il mercato editoriale, si è voluto porre in luce come le autrici e l’ autorə investigati contribuiscono ad offrire una rappresentazione dei fenomeni migratori contemporanei complessa, contraddistinta da diverse sfaccettature risultante dal molteplice senso di affiliazione e appartenenze culturali.
Alla luce di ciò, la tesi di dottorato è stata strutturata in tre parti. La prima sezione è stata indirizzata allo studio della narrativa contemporanea prodotta da autrici e autorə della diaspora africana che risiedono in Europa o negli Stati Uniti prendendo come riferimento gli studi condotti sulla migrazione e le correnti di pensiero femministe transnazionali. I testi esaminati in questa sezione comprendono Americanah (2013) di Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, Ghana Must Go di Taiye Selasi (2013), A Good Name (2021) di Yedije Kilanko, A Bit of a Difference (2013) di Sefi Atta, The Icarus Girl (2005) di Helen Oyeyemi e Freshwater (2018) di Akawaeke Emezi.
La seconda parte della ricerca si è concentrata sull’esaminazione linguistica e stilistica della narrativa breve The Thing Around Your Neck (2013) di Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, Happiness Like Water (2013) di Chinelo Okparanta e Better Late Than Never (2019) di Chika Unigwe con l’obiettivo di indagare come le autrici si appropriano, incorporano e rimodellano i diversi registri linguistici a loro disposizione. Attingendo agli studi linguistico-stilistico condotti sul postcolonial stylistics e l’authenticity, si è illustrato come l’intreccio tra la lingua inglese, l’ inglese nigeriano, il pidgin nigeriano e la lingua etnica di appartenenza nei racconti brevi oggetto d’esame diventino uno strumento per esprimere la complessità del contesto multilingue navigato dai propri personaggi e l’identità ibrida postcoloniale nigeriana.
La parte conclusiva dello studio ha mirato a inquadrare le opere esaminate nel loro contesto socioculturale editoriale contemporaneo, evidenziando le dinamiche di potere che caratterizzano il mercato letterario Euro-Americano e il loro impatto sulle tematiche, la produzione e la diffusione della letteratura nigeriana.The growing prominence of Sub-Saharan African authors in the global literary domain has garnered substantial interest in narratives that delve into the intersections of identity, migration, culture, and multilingualism. Aiming at investigating these literary texts and the publishing market context in which they are disseminated, this research project focuses on analysing the distinctive characteristics that define the hybrid and multilingual writings of seven Nigerian authors and one non-binary author: Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, Taiye Selasi, Yejide Kilanko, Sefi Atta, Helen Oyeyemi, Akwaeke Emezi, Chinelo Okparanta, and Chika Unigwe.
By adopting an interdisciplinary approach that incorporates studies on transnational migration, transnational feminism, stylistics and the publishing industry, this study endeavours to highlight how the authors under examination contribute to presenting a complex depiction of contemporary migratory phenomena, characterised by multiple facets emerging from multiple senses of affiliation and cultural belonging.
Building on such premises, the doctoral thesis is structured into three parts. The first section examines contemporary fiction produced by authors of the African diaspora residing in Europe or the United States by drawing upon studies conducted on migration and transnational feminist school of thought. The texts analysed in this section include Americanah (2013) by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, Ghana Must Go by Taiye Selasi (2013), A Good Name (2021) by Yedije Kilanko, A Bit of a Difference (2013) by Sefi Atta, The Icarus Girl (2005) by Helen Oyeyemi and Freshwater (2018) by Akawaeke Emezi.
The second part of the research focuses on selected short stories in The Thing Around Your Neck (2013) by Adichie, Happiness Like Water (2013) by Okparanta and Better Late Than Never (2019) by Unigwe, illustrating how the authors appropriate, incorporate and reshape the various linguistic registers available to them. Drawing specifically on linguistic-stylistic studies conducted on postcolonial stylistics and authenticity, the analysis highlights how the convergence of English, Nigerian English, Nigerian Pidgin and the authors’ ethnic languages becomes a tool for expressing the complexity of the multilingual context navigated by their characters and the hybrid postcolonial Nigerian identity.
The concluding part of the study aims to locate these works and, more generally, modern literary texts within their contemporary socio-cultural and editorial context by highlighting the power dynamics that characterise the Euro-American literary market and their impact on the themes, production and dissemination of Nigerian literature
“Dismantling White Supremacy” in the United States: Identity and Racial Politics in Chinelo Okparanta’s Harry Sylvester Bird
No full textA conversation with Chinelo Okparant
“Dismantling White Supremacy” in the United States: Identity and Racial Politics in Chinelo Okparanta’s Harry Sylvester Bird
No full text“Dismantling White Supremacy” in the United States: Identity and Racial Politics in Chinelo Okparanta’s Harry Sylvester Bird
A conversation with Chinelo Okparanta
(16 April 2023)
[1] I would like to express my gratitude to Chinelo Okparanta for her time, kindness, and the valuable contribution she is making to the global reception of Nigerian literature
The Oil Must Flow at Any Cost: Catastrophic Aquatic Contamination and Literary Eco-Activism in Imbolo Mbue’s How Beautiful We Were and Chinelo Okparanta’s Short Story “America”
No full textWater is crucial for the survival of living organisms, especially humans. Yet despite its relevance, there are still billions of people around the world who lack access to clean water for drinking, cooking and sanitation purposes. The United Nations Global Water Security Assessment of 2023 revealed that thirteen African countries are currently facing a severe water crisis. This crisis not only affects the availability of safe drinking water but also has far-reaching consequences for public health, agriculture, economic development and social stability of affected regions.
The West African region, in particular, has long been plagued by water contamination, with the exploration and production of crude oil among the most significant contributors to environmental degradation. This pollution has led to the de-naturalisation of the natural environment, posing a significant threat to the aquatic ecosystem, which, in turn, affects the livelihoods of millions of people in sub-Saharan Africa.
In response to the ecological crisis gripping sub-Saharan African populations, modern women writers are employing their writings to sensitise their readers and promote a moral responsibility towards implementing practical and sustainable ways of reversing the increasing and rapid pollution of water resources.
Building upon these premises and broadening the concept of eco-activism introduced by Egya (2020), this study investigates the ways in which How Beautiful We Were (2021) by Imbolo Mbue and the short story “America” (2013) by Chinelo Okparanta depict the impacts of human endeavours on the natural aquatic ecosystem. In these terms, specific attention will be directed to the analysis of the use of water imagery by both authors to channel the indecipherable and invisible nature of the structural violence that oil industries perpetuate on sub-Saharan African territory, together with the devastating physical and psychological effects of human activity on people living in polluted environments
Towards an \u27African Medical Humanities\u27: Examining Mental Health in Nigerian Contemporary Literature through an African-Centred Approach
No full textThe significance of adopting an African-centric approach when examining traditional West African medicine and cultural practices related to healthcare and the body cannot be overstated. In the fields of humanities and social sciences, there has been a tendency to prioritize Euro-centric scholarship at the expense of exploring the belief systems of people of African descent. However, recognising the West African indigenous world-view is a crucial first step in challenging Euro-American epistemological dominance and enabling a more comprehensive analysis of healthcare practices.
Against this backdrop, the present research proposes the term ‘African Medical Humanities’ with the aim of deconstructing Euro-centric universalism and offering an alternative framework for studying health-related phenomena in sub-Saharan African creative writing. Specifically, the analysis will focus on the works of two Nigerian contemporary writers by examining the Abiku/ogbanje (spirit child) motif in relation to mental health and traditional African therapeutics.
The study will pay particular attention to Helen Oyeyemi’s The Icarus Girl (2005) and Akwaeke Emezi’s Freshwater (2018), investigating how these works address mental health and personhood within indigenous therapeutics among West African societies. Through this analysis, the present contribution demonstrates how spirituality is deeply embedded in traditional healthcare practices, thereby reflecting the importance of adopting an African-centric approach to understanding healthcare and the body in West African societies.The significance of adopting an African-centric approach when examining traditional West African medicine and cultural practices related to healthcare and the body cannot be overstated. In the fields of humanities and social sciences, there has been a tendency to prioritize Euro-centric scholarship at the expense of exploring the belief systems of people of African descent. However, recognising the West African indigenous world-view is a crucial first step in challenging Euro-American epistemological dominance and enabling a more comprehensive analysis of healthcare practices.
Against this backdrop, the present research proposes the term ‘African Medical Humanities’ with the aim of deconstructing Euro-centric universalism and offering an alternative framework for studying health-related phenomena in sub-Saharan African creative writing. Specifically, the analysis will focus on the works of two Nigerian contemporary writers by examining the Abiku/ogbanje (spirit child) motif in relation to mental health and traditional African therapeutics.
The study will pay particular attention to Helen Oyeyemi’s The Icarus Girl (2005) and Akwaeke Emezi’s Freshwater (2018), investigating how these works address mental health and personhood within indigenous therapeutics among West African societies. Through this analysis, the present contribution demonstrates how spirituality is deeply embedded in traditional healthcare practices, thereby reflecting the importance of adopting an African-centric approach to understanding healthcare and the body in West African societies
