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REPRESENTING SUBJUGATION of FEMALE GENDER and ITS VARIANT FORMS in BUCHI EMECHETA's SECOND CLASS CITIZEN ADAM, Ezinwanyi E

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REPRESENTING SUBJUGATION of FEMALE GENDER and ITS VARIANT FORMS in BUCHI EMECHETA's SECOND CLASS CITIZEN ADAM, Ezinwanyi E REPRESENTING SUBJUGATION OF FEMALE GENDER AND ITS VARIANT FORMS IN BUCHI EMECHETA'S SECOND CLASS CITIZEN ADAM, Ezinwanyi E., PhD & OSOGBIYE , Yewande Funmilayo Abstract This study is set to expand the boundaries of existing knowledge in gender and women's studies by engaging in an in-depth analysis of Buchi Emecheta’s Second Class Citizen to show her lucid and apt representation of the variant forms of oppression of African women by their male counterparts and the need for social change. The research is qualitative and adopts the literary theory of Feminism and its African variant, Womanism, as approaches to evaluate the issues of suppression and mistreatment that female characters are faced with in the selected fiction. The study reveals the various forms of subjugation and oppression faced by the female gender in African society, and the effects on women and society at large through an analytical discourse of the selected texts. Keywords: Gender, Feminism, Womanism, African womanism, Subjugation Introduction Feminism, a western ideology, found a fertile ground in Africa in the 1960’s as it provided opportunity of re-evaluating attitudes and disbeliefs about women in the African community. Katherine Frank in her essay 1 titled “feminist criticism and the African novels”, an article which analyses the relevance and usefulness of feminism to the study of African female writers, gives the impression that the feminist ideology in its emphasis in individualistic growth and interests must necessarily be opposed to traditional tendencies which place values on group interests. She explains that feminism is a profoundly individualistic philosophy and values personal growth and individual fulfillment over any communal needs or goods. Germaine also supported this view, when she states in “The Female Eunuch” that the beginning of feminism in a woman is manifested in her ability to devise her own method of revolt, a revolt which will reflect her own independence or originality. After World War II, the world was no longer the same. It was the dawn of many newly emerging states and new economic principles which started playing the world fire field. This climate of change gave an impulse to women activities all over the globe. Capitalism and the emergence of a global economy also caused a change in women rights. According to scholars like Bell Hooks (1998), Clenora Hudson-Weems (1993), Mary Modupe Kolawole (1997), and Mobolanle Sotunsa (2008), among others, the Africa women’s movement has been strongly influenced and shaped by activities against the colonial rule and racist ideologies. African women’s activism cannot be seen separately from the larger context of repression and exploitation of both men and women. This has given a rise to feminism and activism primarily aimed at changing social and humanitarian conditions. Gwendolyn (1985) in Osogbiye's (2015) asserts that the main disruptive effect on women’s roles in Africa is the colonization process, in which the colonial masters disrupted the normal tradition in the society. The colonial masters introduced churches, governance, and trade which disrupted the traditional influence on the 2 society, during the colonial period. Four factors influenced the development of inequality in Africa, they include • The Catholicism with the introduction of monogamy • Suppression of women • Western education giving more opportunities to men • Legal system which recognized the independence of African women. These four factors influenced the unequal standard of the men and women folk in the society. The colonial structures and capitalist economic principles were institutionalized in religion, legal, economic and educational structures. These structures led to a new social order in which African women not belonging to the upper few had very little rights. As a result, the economic and legal positions of women changed drastically. The political crisis of the colonial and traditional rulers led to more and more gender inequality, during the 80’s African women understood that they were paying the highest prize for political and economic instability. African feminist writers who portray their characters in the feminist literature, these writers include Buchi Emecheta, Nawal El Saadawi, Ama Ata Aidoo, Flora Nwapa, Efua Sutherland, Akachi Ezeigbo, Zaynab Alkali, Bessie Head, Mariama Ba and others are engaged in fiction writing. These feminist writers have used their literary works as a tool in giving vivid descriptions of the challenges of African women in their respective societies. African feminism is a move away from the western feminism; it has an accommodative perception which assents that both men and women have roles to play in the society. Feminism in Africa has undergone a lot of metamorphosis and has assumed variegated forms and nomenclatures such as Feminism, Womanism, Motherism, Sexism, Stiwanism, Africana 3 Womanism and presently African Womanism with regards to the womanist theory. Kolawole (1998) and Joseph (2002) explain that Womanism is not a solipsistic theory but one that recognizes and responds to the yearnings of many women who have problems with appropriating Feminism in spite of the diversities. It increases black Women’s options of self-conceptualization, self-actualization and unity. However, according to Alice walker (1983), Womanism means mature, responsible, courageous behavior of adult females, as opposed to the frivolous behavior of the gender. In Africa today, for example in Nigeria, women have gone into professions that have once be regarded as exclusively for men, for example, the literary scene was dominated for decade by male writers like Amos Tutuola, Chinua Achebe, Wole Soyinka and others, until women like Florence Nwapa made a sudden break. In Nigeria, feminism is viewed from various angles, for instance when examined from the view of religion, it preaches gender equality which is considered to be unnatural judging from the fact that God pronounced the man as head over his wife which pre-supposes that women are expected to be subservient to men WOMANISM The deficiencies of feminism as practiced by middle class white women and the need to evolve a theory or an ideology that caters specifically for the need of the black women and other women of color later led to the development of another variant of feminism called WOMANISM. According to the Encarta Dictionaries (2008), a womanist is defined as one who has respect for and belief in the abilities and talents of women. Womanism is concerned with balance as it believes in partnering with the men folk, and the predominant issues in the writings of womanists are 4 racism, classism and sexism. Womanists believe in the emancipation of the total race and not that of the women alone. It can also be defined as a concept that encourages total belief and respect for women and what they stand for without operating under any form of bias (Akorede, 2011; Hooks, 1984; Hudson-Weems, 1993; Kolawole, 1997). Womanism is an African centered gender perception. Womanism celebrates blackness and black people's unique experiences and lifestyles. It makes the aspirations, need and desires of the black women its first priority. Womanism is also a global ideology as stated by Ogunyemi Okonjo (1985) that ‘it celebrates or embraces racial, gender, class and the African women consciousness. Womanism is aimed at achieving self- definition and self-actualization for black women. This concept is totally different as it is subtle in its approach and it is accommodative towards men when compared to the concept of feminism which is totally separate and aggressive in its approach, this approach is subtle to address the wrong representation of women in literature unlike feminists who are quite extreme in their works (Adam, 2012; Kolawole, 1997; Sotunsa, 2008). According to Alice Walker (1983: xi-xiii) a womanist is: A black feminist of color. A woman who loves other women, sexually and/ or non-sexually----sometimes love individual men, and/ or non-sexually, committed to survival and wholeness of entire people, male or female, not a separatist, except periodically for health…. Regardless womanist is to feminist as purple is to lavender. From the above extract from Alice Walker (1983) the accommodating perspective of Womanism through established relationships with both the 5 opposite sex and women of all race is noted. Reaffirming Ogunyemi's viewpoint, Kolawole (1998:24) projects Womanism as: A philosophy that celebrates black roots, the ideals of black life, while giving balanced presentation of black womanism. It concerns itself as much with the black sexual power tussle as with the world power structure that subjugates blacks. It concerns itself as much with the blacks. It concerns itself as much with the black sexual power tussle as with the world power structure that subjugates blacks. The black woman is not as powerless in the black world as the white woman is in the white world; the black woman, less protected than her white counterpart, has to grow independent. Hudson-Weems (1993) contends that the Africana womanists names and define herself and her movement and is family centered. The Africana womanist is more concerned with her entire family than just herself and her sisters even though genuine sisterhood is also very important to her. Since Womanism is accommodating in nature Hudson-Weems maintains that the Africana womanist also welcomes male presence and participation in her struggle as her destiny is often interviewed with his in their broader struggle for humanity and liberation for African people. Thus, the Africana womanist desires positive male companionship. Womanism is still aimed at assuaging the dehumanizing and oppressive experiences of women. This feature is shared with feminism. However, the issues addressed in womanism concerns black women folk and their cultural issues. Meza (1993) opines that: These cultural issues made the universalism of western feminism 6 irrelevant because the white middle class women’s ideology failed to address the cultural specific conditions and interest of black and non-white women ….
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