Womanism and African Consciousness [Paperback]

Mary E. Modupe Kolawole (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 1996 | ISBN-10: 0865435413 | ISBN-13: 978-0865435414

Through an in-depth examination of the history of indigenous oral and written genres by and about women, this book presents a comprehensive study of the audibility of the African female gender in cultural, societal, and political contexts.

Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

This book is a comprehensive study of the African woman's cultural, societal and political audibility. Through an in-depth historical critique of indigenous oral and written genres by and about women, the author challenges the accepted notion that African women are "voiceless" members of society. At the base for her study is the concept of "womanism" - an ideology which she defines as the "totality of feminine self-expression, self retrieval, and self assertion in positive cultural ways." This methodology reveals hidden areas of audibility and calls for a new generation of writers who will create a global consciousness about the realities of the African woman and women of African descent. The issues discussed are important and relevant to current dialogue among critics of feminism. Her conclusions, particularly on the issue of the "invisibility" myth and its origins, are well supported. Tracing the development of the portrayal of women in literature in a comprehensive and cohesive manner, the author concludes that African women writers are not passive to their condition - they are not "voiceless." She recommends a dialogic approach to modern criticism in order to accommodate all approaches to the African Woman's self-definition. A high level of consciousness, she asserts, is central to self-recovery for the African woman and can be attained through African Womanist ideology.

About the Author

Mary E. Modupe Kolawole, born and raised in Kwara State, Nigeria, earned her Ph.D. in theory of African Literature in 1985 from Ahmadu Bello University in Zaria, Nigeria. Dr. Kolawole has been a Rockefeller Fellow in African Cultural and Gender Studies at Cornell University's African Studies and Research Center and a Commonwealth Visiting Fellow at the University of Kent in Canterbury, Kent, U.K. She is currently a senior lecturer in Literature and Women's Studies at Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife and editor-in-chief of the journal "Gender and Development in Africa."

Product Details

• Paperback: 216 pages
• Publisher: Africa World Pr (August 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0865435413
• ISBN-13: 978-0865435414
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.4 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,461,310 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4.0 out of 5 stars Womanist Theory, July 3, 2008

By 

Naoki "Naoki" (MD) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Womanism and African Consciousness (Paperback)

I really appreciated how African women adopted and nurtured the term "womanist" to accommodate our experiences, cultural realtiies and socio-political stances. Kolawole's essays do an excellent job in capturing one African woman's perspective. I gave it 4 stars because she asks us not generalize and group all African women's experiences, yet frequently makes overarching statements about African women's values.

Great academic text and is very helpful in my analysis of other ways African women operate in the private sphere.