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DEVELOPMENT OF THE FEMALE SELF AND NATIONAL IDENTITY IN SELECTED KENYAN WOMEN’S WRITINGS AGNES MUTHONI KIHORO MAGU A THESIS SUBMITTED IN FULFILMENT OF THE REQUIREMENT FOR THE AWARD OF THE DEGREE OF DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY IN LITERATURE UNIVERSITY OF NAIROBI 2014 i DECLARATION This thesis is my original work and has not been submitted for the award of a degree in any other university: Signature………………………… Date ………………………....... Agnes Muthoni Kihoro Magu This thesis is submitted for examination with our approval as university supervisors: Signature………………………… Date ……………………… Dr. Tom Odhiambo Signature………………………… Date ……………………… Dr. Jennifer Muchiri ii DEDICATION This research work is dedicated to the four pillars in my life: The Almighty God, my parents, my husband and our children. iii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I wish to express my profound gratitude to my supervisors, Dr. Tom Odhiambo and Dr. Jennifer Muchiri, for providing scholarly advice and guidance which has contributed to the successful completion of this work. I am really indebted to both of them for going out of their way not only in supervising and reviewing this work but also in ensuring that I got the relevant reference materials, an exposure which considerably improved this work in significant ways. Dr. Tom Odhiambo deserves special mention for selflessly and tirelessly working with me to develop the proposal for this study even before he was appointed as one of my supervisors. His dedication and commitment is unequalled. I am thankful to Professors Henry Indangasi, Peter Wasamba, Hellen Mwanzi, Christopher Gakuu, Harriet Kidombo and Dr. Omondi Bowa for supporting and encouraging me to pursue PhD studies. A lot of appreciation goes to my husband, Kihoro. I owe postgraduate academic progress to him for without his support I would have faltered and even given up this study. I have also enjoyed support from our children, Njeri, Wairimu, Magu and Wanjiku. At critical times during the research period, they were all there for me. I will remain forever grateful for their support, understanding, encouragement and their constant admonition that when the going gets tough, the tough get going. My thanks also go to all those people who have supported me in one way or another in the course of this study. To you all, I say thank you. iv CONTENTS DECLARATION ................................................................................................................... ii DEDICATION ...................................................................................................................... iii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ................................................................................................... iv ABSTRACT ........................................................................................................................ 1 BACKGROUND TO THE STUDY ....................................................................................... 2 1.1 Introduction ................................................................................................................... 2 1.2 Statement of the Problem .............................................................................................. 4 1.3 Objectives ..................................................................................................................... 5 1.4 Hypotheses ................................................................................................................... 5 1.5 Justification for the Study .............................................................................................. 6 1.6 Literature Review .......................................................................................................... 7 1.7 Theoretical Framework ............................................................................................... 24 1.8 Methodology................................................................................................................ 30 1.9 Scope and Limitations ................................................................................................. 33 1.10 Chapter Outline ......................................................................................................... 34 CHAPTER TWO ............................................................................................................... 36 (RE) CONCEPTUALISATION OF THE FEMALE SELF IN POSTCOLONIAL .................. 36 KENYA ............................................................................................................................. 36 2.1 Introduction ................................................................................................................. 36 2 .2 Historicising Women in the Historical Realm of Kenya: A Case of Margaret .............. 41 Ogola and Florence Mbaya ........................................................................................ 41 2.3 Conclusion ................................................................................................................ 112 CHAPTER THREE .......................................................................................................... 115 REPRESENTATIONS OF WOMEN’S SUBJECTIVITY AND ITS EFFECT ON .............. 115 THE FEMALE SELF AND NATIONAL IDENTITY IN POSTCOLONIAL ......................... 115 3.1 Subjectivity and Disease ........................................................................................... 115 3.2 Women’s Subjectivity in the Face of Cancer.............................................................. 121 3.3 HIV/AIDS and Female Subjectivity ............................................................................ 158 3.4 Disease and National Subjectivity ............................................................................. 193 3.5 Conclusion ................................................................................................................ 198 CHAPTER FOUR ............................................................................................................ 200 WRITING THE FEMALE SELF IN (TO) SOCIO-CULTURAL AND ................................. 200 SOCIO-POLITICAL SPHERES ....................................................................................... 200 4.1 Introduction ............................................................................................................... 200 v 4.2 Female Search for Identity in the Socio-Cultural Environment ................................... 201 4.3 The Female’s Search for Identity in the Socio-Political Environment ......................... 237 4.4 Conclusion ................................................................................................................ 249 CHAPTER FIVE .............................................................................................................. 251 WOMEN WRITERS’ PERSPECTIVES ON THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THE ....... 251 SELF AND THE NATION ............................................................................................... 251 5.1 An Overview of Violence towards Women ................................................................. 251 5.2 Symbolic Representation of Violence at the Stratum of the Female Self ................... 254 5.3 Effects of Sexual Harassment on the Female Self ..................................................... 282 5.4 Rape and Female Subjectivity ................................................................................... 298 5.5 Conclusion ................................................................................................................ 320 CHAPTER SIX ................................................................................................................ 323 SUMMARY, FINDINGS AND RECOMMENDATIONS .................................................... 323 REFERENCES................................................................................................................ 336 vi ABSTRACT This study sets out to investigate development of the female self and national identity in selected Kenyan women’s writings. The interrogation of the numerous female identities that are the concern of this study focuses on patriarchy, disease, ethnicity and violence as forces that interfere with women’s sense of selfhood, belonging to, and claiming the nation. The writings under discussion produce meaning within feminist and postcolonial literary discourses. Thus, feminist and postcolonial theoretical approaches are used as the tools for analyses of development of female self and national identity in patriarchal and modern societies. In both cases, women’s self-identity is to a large extent denied. Even though they appropriate gender roles, often, women question the subjective place that patriarchal order assigns and perpetuates in regard to women. In the contemporary society, disease subjugates women even though they are affirmed as part of the nation while violence leads to helplessness and pessimism and hence the need for agency towards women’s progressive social change. The question of the female self and national identity is also addressed with regard to ethnicity, sexuality, gender, social and political classes. The findings are that ethnic, sexual, gender, social and political affiliations suppress the development of the female self. 1 CHAPTER ONE BACKGROUND TO THE STUDY 1.1 Introduction The question of identity is ever evolving especially to the extent it plays on gender matters. In order to re-examine contemporary female identities, there
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