From Womanism To Stiwanism: Gender Roles And Feminist Ideologies In Chinua Achebe's A Man Of The People

Abstract

Chinua Achebe's A Man of the People offers a critical analysis of gender roles and feminist ideologies in postcolonial Nigeria. The novel, through characters like Mrs. Elizabeth Nanga, Eunice, and Edna, captures aspects of Womanism, which prioritizes the everyday experiences of Black women, with a focus on African women. Womanism, as evolved by Alice Walker and reworked to African literary theory, examines the intersectionality of race, gender, and class and the specific challenges of African women. With the progression of the narrative, the term Stiwanism comes into view, moving from personal gender battles to the common involvement of women in social change. Stiwanism, as defined by Nigerian academic Molara Ogundipe-Leslie, places great importance on the need for women to play a role in constructing political, economic, and cultural frameworks within Africa. The research paper traces the shift from   Womanism to Stiwanism, with a focus  on how female protagonists subvert the conventional gender constructs and add to the changing conversation on gender  equity in African literature.