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Feminism: Sex & gender discussions

feminist essay

8 replies

OnlyWantsOne · 15/03/2011 13:37

Feminism and post-colonial theory have much in common but issues of gender are often ignored in discussions of post-colonial and esepecially African literatures. Discuss.


well?

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msrisotto · 15/03/2011 14:41

Cheeky!

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iskra · 15/03/2011 14:47

is this for a literature course?

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OnlyWantsOne · 15/03/2011 14:49

yep

i have a tiny baby, a snotty 4 yr old and looming deadlines

[hides under books]

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iskra · 15/03/2011 15:13

okay, well unfortunately I have an Eng lit degree but didn't cover post colonial theory in African lit. What books are you using?

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OnlyWantsOne · 15/03/2011 15:16

achebe's things fall apart - doing close analysis of that

plus the one above

arrrrrgh!!!!!!!!

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MrIC · 16/03/2011 15:03

ohhhh fantastic! sounds right up my street. I'm on baby duty at the moment, so can't do long posts but shall have a think.

Off the top of my head, have a look at Ngugi Wa Thiong'o's novel "The River between" - quite shocking (to modern, western sensibilities) attitudes towards FGM and rape.

By contrast, Anita Desai's "Feasting Fasting" is far more sympathetic to the plight of women in the developing world.

There's a line of argument to be taken (and Ngugi would be good to this too) that women, especially white women, represent the colonialists - Queen Victoria, Queen Elizabeth, Karen Blixen, "she" of H Ridder Haggard, etc - and that the post-colonial writers are trying to re-claim their manhood which had been surrendered to foreign women. [NOTE: not my argument I hasten to add]

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MrIC · 16/03/2011 15:12

However, you could challenge the premise and say "where are the women in other post-colonial literatures?" i.e. saying it's not just an African thing

The Chant of Jimmy Blacksmith - Keneally (Australia), plus anything by Narayan (India) or Naipaul (Trinidad) are devoid of genuine, developed female characters that aren't bit players. On the other hand J.M. Coetzee (South Africa)(especially in "Disgrace") is far more sympathetic of women and aware of the challenges they face in a post-colonial world.

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LadyOfTheManor · 20/03/2011 13:40

Might I put forward the Heart of Darkness by Conrad. That's got some woman stuff but plenty of geographical/historical info.

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