Thesis (Ph. D.)--Illinois State University, 2006. / Title from title page screen, viewed on April 27, 2007. Dissertation Committee: Ronald L. Strickland (chair), Susan Kalter, Kristin Dykstra, Elizabeth K. Stone. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 209-221) and abstract. Also available in print.

The purpose of this Master’s thesis is to examine the relationship between fiction and resistance from a postcolonial and feminist perspective. More specifically, the study is an examination of this relationship in ten novels by the Nigerian writer Buchi Emecheta. The resistance is studied by examining the way it is depicted in the texts, as well as whether the texts can be seen as a form of opposition. Both the resistance and its context are studied. The analysis is performed through a content analysis of ideas concerning the following four dimensions in Emecheta’s texts: intersectionality, colonialism and imperialism, traditional patriarchal structures and strategies of resistance. The study shows that Emecheta’s novels have a clear political perspective and perform a powerful critique of both imperialist exploitation and traditional patriarchal structures, whilst at the same time illustrating the way different power structures are interoperating. The main strategies for resistance in the texts are based on solidarity, decolonization and self-definition. The context for resistance that is presented to the reader in Emecheta’s novels is a highly variable reality in which different power structures interact and change, which implicates that the methods of resistance varies too. The novels depict as well as constitute resistance, through the ideas conveyed and by the act of writing. The novels present a counter argument against imperialist and patriarchal notions, at the same time as they are offering an opportunity for increased self-understanding, self-definition and transcendence of given positions.

This dissertation interrogates Buchi Emecheta's motives in portraying Igbo culture through her novels. It attempts to situate the novels in reference to Igbo culture. It also highlights the ways in which the texts positively or negatively reflect traditional Igbo values. Overall it demonstrates how Emecheta's own psychological manifestations converge with socio-political Nigerian history in the creation of a body of literature that stands as significant in understanding the issues Igbo women face in their daily lives. / African American Studies

The purpose of this diploma thesis is to analyze the experience of motherhood in the selected works of the female Nigerian author, Buchi Emecheta. The books chosen for the analysis include "Second-Class Citizen" and "The Joys of Motherhood". The theoretical part introduces the writer and gives an insight to the history, culture, and the position of women in Nigeria. This is followed by a discussion of universal topics reflecting the issues of motherhood: the influence of patriarchy on the institution of motherhood, the pressure to be a perfect mother, the preference for boys, and the parent-child relationship. The practical analysis reveals that the chosen topics appear problematic in the motherhood experience of the main protagonists from the selected books. By discussing the mentioned topics, the writer intends to improve the position of women in Nigeria through the strong moral teachings in her works.