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All Journal Rainbow : Journal of Literature, Linguistics and Culture Studies
Agyo, Azetu
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Postcolonial Memories and Emotional Dislocation in Zimbabwean Literature:  A Study of  Noviolet Bulawayo’s We Need New Names Agyo, Azetu; Ogba, Martins; Isah, Materclaus
Rainbow : Journal of Literature, Linguistics and Culture Studies Vol. 14 No. 1 (2025): April 2025
Publisher : Universitas Negeri Semarang

Show Abstract | Download Original | Original Source | Check in Google Scholar | DOI: 10.15294/rainbow.v14i1.22137

Abstract

This study examines the intersection of colonial and postcolonial memories, gender, and emotional dislocation in NoViolet Bulawayo’s We Need New Names (2013). It explores how the novel portrays the enduring legacies of colonialism in shaping identity, cultural hybridity, and psychological experiences. While previous research has addressed themes of migration and cultural alienation in Bulawayo’s work, there is limited analysis of the novel’s engagement with colonial and postcolonial memories, particularly through the lens of gender and emotional trauma. This study addresses this gap by investigating how colonialism’s lingering effects continue to shape individual and collective identities in postcolonial Zimbabwe. This research is grounded in postcolonial theory and trauma theory. Drawing on Edward Said, Homi Bhabha, and Frantz Fanon, the study examines hybrid identities and the internalization of colonial hierarchies. Additionally, trauma theory, as articulated by Cathy Caruth and Marianne Hirsch, provides insight into the emotional and psychological dislocation experienced by the characters, particularly in relation to migration and the intergenerational transmission of colonial trauma. A qualitative methodology is employed, using textual analysis and discourse analysis to examine the novel’s representation of colonial legacies. We Need New Names was selected due to its critical engagement with postcolonial identity and migration. Findings reveal that colonial structures persist in economic struggles, cultural hybridity, and emotional alienation. Darling’s migration to America highlights identity fragmentation, while language and cultural hybridity shape postcolonial selfhood. This research contributes to discussions on postcolonial identity, migration, and trauma. It underscores literature’s role in reflecting historical and socio-political realities and deepens our understanding of identity formation in postcolonial societies.
Feminist Resistance in Postcolonial African Narratives: Strategic Resistance and Radical Politics in Lola Shoneyin’s The Secret Lives of Baba Segi’s Wives and Chris Abani’s Becoming Abigail Agyo, Azetu
Rainbow : Journal of Literature, Linguistics and Culture Studies Vol. 14 No. 2 (2025): October 2025
Publisher : Universitas Negeri Semarang

Show Abstract | Download Original | Original Source | Check in Google Scholar | DOI: 10.15294/rainbow.v14i2.26851

Abstract

This study investigates how African women navigate patriarchal oppression in Lola Shoneyin’s The Secret Lives of Baba Segi’s Wives and Chris Abani’s Becoming Abigail, with a particular focus on postcolonial subjectivity and feminist agency. It draws on two contrasting yet complementary theoretical frameworks: Snail-Sense Feminism, developed by Akachi Adimora-Ezeigbo, which champions strategic, non-confrontational forms of resistance; and Radical Feminism, which advocates for the complete dismantling of patriarchal systems. Shoneyin’s novel centres on subtle forms of resistance within a polygamous household in postcolonial Nigeria, while Abani’s novella highlights trauma, estrangement, and existential defiance in a more global, diasporic context. Employing a qualitative approach rooted in close textual analysis and feminist literary criticism, the research examines character development, narrative voice, and recurring motifs such as silence, memory, and resistance. The analysis reveals that female characters in both texts adopt layered strategies of survival—from covert manipulation and collective solidarity, as exemplified in Iya Segi’s domestic politics, to acts of epistemic refusal and bodily autonomy, seen in Abigail’s final gesture of resistance. This study contributes to postcolonial feminist discourse by emphasising the diversity and complexity of African women’s agency, shaped by the intersecting forces of tradition, modernity, and colonial legacies. It argues that resistance in African literature is neither uniform nor solely radical, but rather emerges through contextually embedded acts of endurance, negotiation, and redefinition. Ultimately, both texts offer valuable insights into the lived experiences of African women, portraying feminist agency not as a single path but as a constellation of adaptive—and at times contradictory—responses to patriarchal and postcolonial realities.
Co-Authors Isah, Materclaus Ogba, Martins