Americanah or Various Observations About Gender, Sexuality and Migration. A Study of Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie.

Abstract

The Nigerian writer Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie stands out as one of the most important figure in discussing gender within a postcolonial frame, becoming one of the most outspoken feminist writers. As a matter of fact, her novels Purple Hibiscus and Half of a Yellow Sun and the feminist manifesto We Should All Be Feminist have been largely discussed and become object of academic and artistic interest; however, little attention has been given to her 2013 novel Americanah. The aim of the current research is thus to analyse Americanah and discuss its role within contemporary feminist and postcolonial discourse, by underlying how the representation of gender, sexuality and “race” works in the novel and its value as a popular product. In order to do so, each of the two main protagonists, that is, Ifemelu and Obinze, will be considered in her/his adolescence and adulthood to understand how they perform and challenge either femininity or masculinity both in their homeland (Nigeria) and in the countries in which they temporary migrate, namely the US and the UK. Attention will be given to the analysis of their sexuality, love life, perception of body and attitude towards gender and racial stereotypes. Finally, the two analyses will be compared to draw a final conclusion on how masculinity and femininity work in the novel.