Downloaded for Personal Non‐Commercial Research Or Study, Without Prior Permission Or Charge
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
Embleton, Nadia (2019) Re‐imagining Nigerian unity : identity, ethno‐nationalism and the depiction of the nation in Nigerian novels by female authors. PhD thesis. SOAS University of London. http://eprints.soas.ac.uk/30987 Copyright © and Moral Rights for this thesis are retained by the author and/or other copyright owners. A copy can be downloaded for personal non‐commercial research or study, without prior permission or charge. This thesis cannot be reproduced or quoted extensively from without first obtaining permission in writing from the copyright holder/s. The content must not be changed in any way or sold commercially in any format or medium without the formal permission of the copyright holders. When referring to this thesis, full bibliographic details including the author, title, awarding institution and date of the thesis must be given e.g. AUTHOR (year of submission) "Full thesis title", name of the School or Department, PhD Thesis, pagination. Reimagining Nigerian Unity: Identity, Ethno-Nationalism and the Depiction of the Nation in Nigerian Novels by Female Authors Nadia Embleton Thesis submitted for the degree of PhD 2017 Department of Africa SOAS, University of London 1 Declaration for SOAS PhD thesis I have read and understood Regulation 21 of the General and Admissions Regulations for students of the SOAS, University of London concerning plagiarism. I undertake that all the material presented for examination is my own work and has not been written for me, in whole or in part, by any other person. I also undertake that any quotation or paraphrase from the published or unpublished work of another person has been duly acknowledged in the work which I present for examination. Signed: ____________________________ Date: _________________ 2 Abstract The research undertaken in this thesis looks to fill the gap in understanding how female authors construct images of the Nigerian national identity in relation to the characters ethno-national identity. Within this it seeks to understand how the role of the mother figure is portrayed in relation to nurturing these supra-national and ethno-national identities, and the way in which independent female characters are depicted as playing crucial roles in furthering the process of Nigerian nation building. Thus, my critical line of inquiry will engage with the following questions: (1) How do Nigerian novels by female authors build national identities in their narratives? (2) What does a Nigerian identity look like in these novels? (3) If the narratives of these female authors are not concerned with nationalism, then what is the thematic focus of these works in relation to identity in Nigerian society? The core of my analysis will be a direct engagement with the aesthetics of Nigerian novels by female authors, both early and contemporary. As identity is an important aspect of my critical inquiry I will look to use post-colonial discourses as a framework through which to understand the more contemporary constructions of black and African identities. Through the application of concepts such as W.E.B Du Bois’ (1994) “double consciousness”, Alcinda Honwana’s (2012) idea of “waithood” and Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s (2016) concept of “choicelessness” I analyse the experience of young Nigerians based in Nigeria and the diaspora in negotiating both an ethno-national and Nigerian identity. Finally, I will also engage with discourses surrounding nationalism, both in its general theoretical context. I argue that the characters and experiences constructed by female authors are more inclusive and empathetic to all Nigerians regardless of gender. That female authors narratives demonstrate the importance of female figures in the construction of the nation. 3 Acknowledgements I would like to start by thanking my first supervisor, Dr. Kwadwo Osei-Nyame Jnr for his incredible guidance throughout this whole process. He has been the perfect mentor for me in terms of furthering my engagement with multiple African discourses. He is a wealth of knowledge, has always been so supportive and always did what he could to help me build confidence in myself and my work. I will be forever grateful to him. Secondly, I would also like to thank my second and third supervisors, Dr. Grace Koh and Dr. Akin Oyètádé. Grace has been pivotal to this process right to the very end. Her guidance on literary theory and the construction of my work has been priceless in helping me improve my style of writing and engagement with literary texts. She has also been a picture of calm when my anxious phone calls and emails to her regarding admin were keeping me up at night. So, I thank you Grace for your unshakeable patience with me. I would also like to thank Akin for his guidance in Nigerian history and his knowledge of Yoruba culture, which informed much of my work during this process, so thank you Akin. I would also like to thank my peers Nadeschda Lisa Bachem and Kataryzana Agata Kubin for taking the time to proofread my work whilst trying to conduct and write up their own research: very much appreciated. Also, Dr. Steve Itugbu and Dr. Mordi Muorah for helping to guide me in the right direction, be that by giving me books to read or casually directing me towards topics to help fill my own knowledge gaps: I would have been stranded at sea without your help, so thank you. Most importantly I would like to thank my parents, Susan and Henry Foluso. Without their support, guidance and unconditional love, I would never have been able to achieve what I have in my life. I love you both, you’re unquestionably my best friends and I could not have asked for better parents: thank you. 4 Finally, I dedicate this thesis to my aunty Gina, who sadly passed away in 2016 and was never able to see me finish my work. I love and miss you every day and I would like to think that somehow you can bear witness to this. 5 Table of Contents Introduction: The Nigerian Novel, Literary Purpose and Nigerian Nationalism ............................................................................................... 7 Outline of Chapters ..........................................................................................9 Nigerian Female Authors: An Introduction ......................................................11 Literature Review ...........................................................................................17 Brief History of Nigeria ....................................................................................19 The Nigerian Novel .........................................................................................22 The Role of the African Author .......................................................................28 Chapter 1 - The Fempire Writes Back: Narratives of Resistance in the Works of Buchi Emecheta and Sefi Atta............................................... 32 Perspectives on the Construction of Female Characters in Nigerian Novels ...35 Motherhood: Female Bondage or A Source of National Resistance ...............47 Buchi Emecheta .............................................................................................50 Sefi Atta..........................................................................................................70 Chapter 2 - The Nigerian Diaspora: Narratives of ‘Unbelonging’ and Return in Buchi Emecheta’s The New Tribe, Sefi Atta’s A Bit of Difference and Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s Americanah ................ 80 Locality, Double-Consciousness and Cultural Dislocation in the Diaspora ......84 Narratives of Unity: The Experience of the African-American and the African in America ........................................................................................................ 105 Black and British: Images of Afro-Unity and Belonging ................................. 116 Chapter 3 - The Arrested Development of Nigerian Youth in Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s Americanah and Adaobi Tricia Nwaubani’s I Do Not Come to You by Chance ................................... 125 Coming of Age: The Portrayal of “waithood” and “choicelessness” in Nigerian Novels .......................................................................................................... 128 419ers and Internet Entrepreneurs: Carving out a Future ............................. 147 Chapter 4 - Memory, Locality and the Search for Identity in Chibundu Onuzo’s The Spider King’s Daughter ................................................. 165 Marxism and Class in Nigeria ....................................................................... 168 The Haves and Have-Nots: ‘Othering’ in the Nigerian Social Strata.............. 173 Memory, Locality and the Importance of National Identity ............................. 188 Chapter 5 - Was There a Country?: Female Perspectives on the Biafran Nation in Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s Half of a Yellow Sun and Buchi Emecheta’s Destination Biafra .......................................... 204 A Short History of the Nigeria-Biafra War and the Civil War Novel ................ 207 The Construction of the Biafran Nation in Half of a Yellow Sun .................... 214 The Experiences of Minority Groups and Women in Destination Biafra ........ 228 Conclusion ............................................................................................ 241 Bibliography.......................................................................................... 250 6 Introduction: The Nigerian Novel, Literary Purpose and Nigerian Nationalism 7 Throughout the world, the histories and current realities