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1+1 National Library of Canada Bibliothèque nationale du Canada Acquisitions and Direction des acquisitions et Bibliographie &lrvices Branch des services bibliographiques 395 Wellington Street 395. ruc Wellington Ottawa, O~lario onawa (Onlario) K1A ON4 KIA ON4 NOTICE 100",1,· \','/<"""""...",.,. AVIS The quality of this microform is heavily dependent upon the quality of the original thesis submitted for microfilming. Every effort has been made to ensure the highest quality of reproduction possible. If pages are missing, contact the university which granted the degree. Some pages may have indistinct print especially if the original pages were typed with a poor typewriter ribbon or if the university sent us an inferior photocopy. Reproduction in full or in part of this microform is governed by the Canadian Copyright Act, R.S.C. 1970, c. C-30, and subsequent amendments. Canada La qualité de cette microforme dépend grandement de la qualité de la thèse soumise au microfilmage. 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C-30, et ses amendements subséquents. • • • Gender in African Women's writing: (Re)constructing Identity, sexuality, and Difference by Juliana Sam-Abbenyi née Nfah Makuchi Comparative Literature Program McGill University, Montreal A Thesis subrnitted to the Faculty of Graduate studies and Research in partial fulfilment of the requirements of the degree of Doctor of Philosophy @ Juliana Sam-Abbenyi October, 1993 1+1 National Library of Canada Bibliothèque nationale du Canada Acquisitions and Direction des acquisitions et Bibliographie Services Branch des services bibliographiques 395 Wellington Street Ottawa. Ontario K1A ON4 395. rue Wellington Ottawa (Ontano) K1AON4 The author has granted an irrevocable non-exclusive licence allowing the National Library of Canada to reproduce, loan, distribute or sell copies of hisjher thesis by any means and in any form or format, making this thesis available to interested persons. The author retains ownership of the copyright in hisjher thesis. Neither the thesis nor substantial extracts fram it may be printed or otherwise reproduced without hisjher permission. L'auteur a accordé une licence irrévocable et non exclusive perm(~ttant à la Bibliothèque nationale du Canada de reproduire, prêter, distribuer ou vendre des copies de sa thèse de quelque manière et sous quelque forme que ce soit pour mettre des exemplaires de cette thèse à la disposition des personnes intéressées. L'auteur conserve la propriété du droit d'auteur qui protège sa thèse. Ni la thèse ni des extraits substantiels de celle-ci ne doivent être imprimés ou autrement reproduits sans son autorisation. ISBN Q-3I5-947II-X Canada • • ABSTRACT This thesis offers a feminist analysis of women and gender in the novels of Buchi Emecheta, Ama Ata Aidoo, Tsitsi Dangarembga, Delphine Zanga Tsogo, Calixthe Beyala, Werewere Liking, Mariama Bâ, Miriam Tlali and Bessie Head. My analyses appropriate and rethink western feminist theories of gender and post-colonial literary theory. l maintain that the texts analyzed are also theoretical, since femir.ist theory is embedded in the polysemy of the texts themselves. The study demonstrates that identity and sexuality are not static sites of oppression for women. They are contesting terrains where the subversion of difference, and the construction of identity, subjectivity and sexuality, are interlocking issues. Women's positional perspectives and varying subject positions are shown to be their strengths . • • RÉsUMÉ L'auteure de cette thèse nous présente une analyse féministe du -genre' (relations entre les sexes) dans les romans des écrivaines d'Afrique noire. Il s'agit de Buchi Ernecheta, Ama Ata Aidoo, Tsitsi Dangarembga, Delphine Zanga Tsogo, Calixthe Beyala, Werewere Liking, Mariama Bâ, Miriam Tlali et Bessie Head. Son analyse de la théorie littéraire dite postcoloniale se fonde sur une réappropriation critique des théories féministes occidentales. L'auteure soutient que les textes étudiés dégagent et développent fondamentalement la théorie féministe imbriquée dans la polysémie de ces mèmes textes. L'étude démontre que les questions d'identité et de sexualité ne sont pas de situations statiques d'oppression pour les femmes mais constituent plutôt des terrains de contestation, des forums de parole au féminin, où la contradiction de la -différence' et l'interprétation de l'identité, la subjectivité et la sexualité s'entremêlant, se trouvent inlassablement liées . • • ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS l have had to overcome multiple hurdles as an African woman studying at McGill. This and other reasons have endeared me to this project. l could not have done it without the help of many people, who knowingly or unknowingly contributed to the writing of this manuscript. l cannot thank everybody on these pages, though l wish to offer my special thanks to the following: My husband, Amos Sam-Abbenyi, for aJ.l his love, support, encouragement, and the sacrifices he has had to make to enable me pursue my dreams. For always making me see the speck in my eye that l took for a log. For taking care of the kids aIl these years and doing an excellent job. To him, and my children, Patou, Tito and Abbenyi, l am most grateful for the letters, the giggles, the tears, the laughter and the friendship. My mothers and fathers back home, who pour libation for my safety and well-being in distant lands. Sarah Westphal, for being much more than a supervisor. Sarah has been like a friend and mentor to me. Her support within and outside McGill has been instrumental to my survival in this Programme. Her interest in my work in general, and the time she put into this project went beyond her duties as a supervisor. She has inspired me and has contributed to my feminist thinking through fruitful discussions and mutual respect of each other's work. l cannot thank her enough for the academicand non-academic • • support that she has given me . Rosemarie Schade, for being a special friend and for all the "pushes" she gave me when l s,ometim-:s felt like packing up and going home. She always knows how to lift my spirits, put a smile back on my face and laughter in my voice. Marike Finlay, for the interest that she has always shown, and the support that she has given me in my research endeavours. Doing a project on Beba folktales with Marike opened up the way for me to give lectures in other North American Universities on oral literature from my background. My brother, Jude Nfah, for reading my manuscript and sharing valuable comments. For taking so much interest in feminist research and women's writing. Eloise Brière, for letting me read the manuscript of an interview with Calixthe Beyala that she co-conducted with Béatrice Gallimore. Jeanne Dingome and David Ndache Tagne, for sharing their personal documentation on Werewere Liking with me. The Canadian International Development Agency, for offering me a McGill/CIDA fellowship without which l could not have completed my studies. The McGill Faculty of Graduate Studies and Research, for offering me a much needed thesis grant to travel to Africa and collect material that l could not otherwise have had. The McGill Centre for Research and Teaching on Women, for offering me a Graduate Research Award • • • • DEDICATION To you Ngonda Patricia the grass-roots feminist l dedicate this work You never lived past your prime But your songs and stories Mould, shape, influence More than l can tell But then you always knew Yeu knew and bear witness • INTRODUCTION CHAPTER ONE TABLE OF CONTENTS 1 24 • Rethinkinq Gender, Feminist Theory and Post-colonial (women'sl writinq CHAPl'ER 'l'WO 57 (Re}Constructinq Identity and Subjectivity: Buchi Emecheta, Ama Ata Aidoo, Tsitsi Danqarembga CHAPl'ER THREE 124 Sexuality in Cameroonian Women writers: Delphine Zanqa Tsoqo, Calixthe Beyala, Werewere Likinq CHAPTER FOUR 185 Women Redefininq Difference: Mariama Bâ, Miriam Tlali, Bessie Head • CONCLUSION BIBLIOGRAPHY i 259 268 • • • INTRODUCTION In October of 1985, Michi.gan state University sponsored a conference, "The Black Woman Writer and the Diaspora." A selection of the presentations made at this conference were published in a special issue of The Black Scholar. ' In her editorial to this issue, Gloria T. Hull writes: One of the most dramatic changes in the literary world over the last decade has been the blossoming of a large corps of female writers, poets, critics. It is not that black women writers did not exist prior to this period, but the black literary scene had historically been predominantly a male preserve. On the one hand, a white, male-dominated publishing industry hadn't seen fit to publish the works of black women writers; on the other hand, even among the black intelligentsia, only the male articulation of the black experience had been viewed as worthy of literary expression. In conjunction with the growth of a movement for women's liberation, however, this situation has dramatically been reversed in recent years ... ln the process black women are currently uploads/Litterature/ gender-in-african-womens-writing-reconstructing-identity-sexuality-and-difference-pdf.pdf