This thesis investigates how selected Zimbabwean female writers narrate HIV and AIDS. It argues that, generally, the prevailing images of women in Zimbabwean society and literature are incapacitating. Male authors have been portraying women in disempowering ways as loose, dangerous, weak and dependent on men. This unjust portrayal of women has been worsened by the prevalence of HIV and AIDS. Women have been depicted as vectors in the spread of HIV, thus perpetuating sexist ideologies. Presuming that women authors can do better in their depiction of female characters, this research investigates whether female authors differ in their representation of female characters in contexts of HIV and AIDS. The works critiqued are Virginia Phiri’s Desperate (2002), Sharai Mukonoweshuro’s Days of Silence (2000), Valerie Tagwira’s The Uncertainty of Hope (2006), Tendayi Westerhof’s Unlucky in Love (2005) and Lutanga Shaba’s Secrets of a Woman’s Soul (2006). The study further explores the extent to which Zimbabwe female authors sanction, conform, undermine, assess critically or do away with unconstructive images of women in contexts of HIV and AIDS. This study emphasized the possibility of literature to offer a platform for the liberation of women, or a counter- platform for reactionary politics. Predicated on the notion of gender and danger, the study questions whether female authors perpetuate the stereotypes of women’s roles as destructive, or whether some view ‘dangerous’ images of women in literature as liberating. Overall, this thesis argued that contrary to the postulation of female authors being similar in their understanding and depiction of the concept of gender and danger, they are not. It is at this juncture that this study breaks new ground by utilizing the concept of agency to show how different female writers interpret and narrate gender and danger in contexts of HIV and AIDS. This study applies the notion of agency as a means of evaluating the extent to which women employ nonconformist acts in order to undercut patriarchy and other oppressive socially constructed ideologies. / English Studies / (D. Litt et Phil. ( English Studies))

The new dawn that brought about democracy in South Africa in 1994 and the social and political experiences have since changed the expectations of women’s roles in society. Literature is the important part of this experience because it mirrors and interprets the experience from the point of view of those who write about it. This study, therefore, attempts to examine the image of women in Xitsonga literature, to investigate whether there is a link in the expected cultural roles of Vatsonga women and their roles as characters in Xitsonga literature; and whether there is a shift in the way women characters are portrayed to represent the current social and political reality. The study employs African feminist literary criticism as a tool in critically analysing the various literary genres. It also adopts purposive sampling of Xitsonga novels, poetry and proverbs that have women characters in them and analyse how these women characters have been portrayed. The naming of female characters is examined in relation to their roles in the texts and the titles of the texts are also investigated and critically analysed to establish whether they portray any gender stereotypes. The themes of the selected texts are also examined to establish if there is any gender biasness. Both male and female-authored texts have been investigated to explore whether male authors depict women differently from their female counterparts. The study concludes that there is gender-biasness in the manner in which women characters are depicted that do not reflect the current political and social order, however, some women authors, unlike their male counterparts do not reflect gender-biasness in their depiction of female characters. / African Languages / D. Litt. et Phil. (African Languages)

This thesis investigates how selected Zimbabwean female writers narrate HIV and AIDS. It argues that, generally, the prevailing images of women in Zimbabwean society and literature are incapacitating. Male authors have been portraying women in disempowering ways as loose, dangerous, weak and dependent on men. This unjust portrayal of women has been worsened by the prevalence of HIV and AIDS. Women have been depicted as vectors in the spread of HIV, thus perpetuating sexist ideologies. Presuming that women authors can do better in their depiction of female characters, this research investigates whether female authors differ in their representation of female characters in contexts of HIV and AIDS. The works critiqued are Virginia Phiri’s Desperate (2002), Sharai Mukonoweshuro’s Days of Silence (2000), Valerie Tagwira’s The Uncertainty of Hope (2006), Tendayi Westerhof’s Unlucky in Love (2005) and Lutanga Shaba’s Secrets of a Woman’s Soul (2006). The study further explores the extent to which Zimbabwe female authors sanction, conform, undermine, assess critically or do away with unconstructive images of women in contexts of HIV and AIDS. This study emphasized the possibility of literature to offer a platform for the liberation of women, or a counter- platform for reactionary politics. Predicated on the notion of gender and danger, the study questions whether female authors perpetuate the stereotypes of women’s roles as destructive, or whether some view ‘dangerous’ images of women in literature as liberating. Overall, this thesis argued that contrary to the postulation of female authors being similar in their understanding and depiction of the concept of gender and danger, they are not. It is at this juncture that this study breaks new ground by utilizing the concept of agency to show how different female writers interpret and narrate gender and danger in contexts of HIV and AIDS. This study applies the notion of agency as a means of evaluating the extent to which women employ nonconformist acts in order to undercut patriarchy and other oppressive socially constructed ideologies. / English Studies / (D. Litt et Phil. ( English Studies))

The new dawn that brought about democracy in South Africa in 1994 and the social and political experiences have since changed the expectations of women’s roles in society. Literature is the important part of this experience because it mirrors and interprets the experience from the point of view of those who write about it. This study, therefore, attempts to examine the image of women in Xitsonga literature, to investigate whether there is a link in the expected cultural roles of Vatsonga women and their roles as characters in Xitsonga literature; and whether there is a shift in the way women characters are portrayed to represent the current social and political reality. The study employs African feminist literary criticism as a tool in critically analysing the various literary genres. It also adopts purposive sampling of Xitsonga novels, poetry and proverbs that have women characters in them and analyse how these women characters have been portrayed. The naming of female characters is examined in relation to their roles in the texts and the titles of the texts are also investigated and critically analysed to establish whether they portray any gender stereotypes. The themes of the selected texts are also examined to establish if there is any gender biasness. Both male and female-authored texts have been investigated to explore whether male authors depict women differently from their female counterparts. The study concludes that there is gender-biasness in the manner in which women characters are depicted that do not reflect the current political and social order, however, some women authors, unlike their male counterparts do not reflect gender-biasness in their depiction of female characters. / African Languages / D. Litt. et Phil. (African Languages)

VERONESI, Raquel Barros. A reescritura das personagens 'womanistas' de The Color Purple para o Cinema. 2015. 160f. – Dissertação (Mestrado) – Universidade Federal do Ceará, Programa de Pós-graduação em Letras, Fortaleza (CE), 2015. / Submitted by Márcia Araújo (marcia_m_bezerra@yahoo.com.br) on 2015-03-31T12:54:43Z No. of bitstreams: 1 2015_dis_rbveronesi.pdf: 1893379 bytes, checksum: 8be8e578c998b24565a9290d5f0bf9ce (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Márcia Araújo(marcia_m_bezerra@yahoo.com.br) on 2015-03-31T14:27:31Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 2015_dis_rbveronesi.pdf: 1893379 bytes, checksum: 8be8e578c998b24565a9290d5f0bf9ce (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2015-03-31T14:27:31Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 2015_dis_rbveronesi.pdf: 1893379 bytes, checksum: 8be8e578c998b24565a9290d5f0bf9ce (MD5) Previous issue date: 2015 / The present dissertation analyses the translation of womanism in The Color Purple (1982), by Alice Walker, into its homonymous film adaptation in 1985, directed by Steven Spielberg. The term womanism, although it also refers to the black feminism, relates to a movement that transcends the social aspect; it is, therefore, a spiritual movement, committed to the survival and welfare of all people, independent on race, sex, religion, among others. The novel The Color Purple tells Celie’s story, a semi-illiterate black teenager who writes letters to God, telling situations about her life. Through friendship with other women and, consequently, the discovery of new ways of being and feeling, the character tries to overcome the trauma caused by the separation of her sister and her children, and the physical and psychological rapes she had suffered. In this research, we investigate, specifically, the rewriting of four female characters – Celie, Nettie, Sofia and Shug – since we perceive them as the main representative of womanism in the novel. Our hypothesis is that some womanist aspects, such as religion and homosexuality, were softened in the translation, due to contextual issues, whereas others were emphasized because they were adapted into both the poetics of the cinema of the 80’s, and of the director. As theoretical background, we take Even-Zohar’s postulates (1990), about the polysystem theory, and Toury’s assumptions (2012), which understand the studies of translation emphasizing the cultural factor, and considering the influence that the target culture has on the translation process. We also take Lefevere’s concept of rewriting (2007), which emphasizes the historical and cultural nature of the translated texts. Concerning the translation of literary works into the cinema, we use the studies by Cattrysse (1992), and the considerations of authors, such as Stam (2008; 2011) and Hutcheon (2013), who discuss the relationship between the two language systems. Finally, about womanism, the reflections by Maparyan (2012) and Walker (1983) are critical in conducting the analysis. The results showed that the strategies of softening and emphasis on the translation of the female characters’ womanist traits concern the translators’ poetic, as well as the specificities of the cinematic system. Therefore, in the adaptation, they reflect much more the poetics of Hollywood cinema of the 80’s, and of the director, than the womanism observed in the literary work. / A presente dissertação analisa a tradução do “womanismo” em The Color Purple (1982), da escritora Alice Walker, para o filme homônimo de 1985, dirigido por Steven Spielberg. O termo womanism, embora se refira também ao feminismo negro, diz respeito a um movimento que transcende o social; ele é, portanto, um movimento espiritual, comprometido com a sobrevivência e o bem-estar de todas as pessoas, independente de raça, sexo, religião, entre outros aspectos. O romance The Color Purple narra a história de Celie, uma adolescente negra semiletrada, que escreve cartas a Deus, contando sobre sua vida. Por meio da amizade com outras mulheres e, consequentemente, da descoberta de novas formas de ser e sentir, a personagem tenta superar os traumas causados pela separação da irmã e de seus filhos e pelos estupros físicos e psicológicos que sofreu. Nesta pesquisa, investigamos, especificamente, a reescritura de quatro personagens femininas – Celie, Nettie, Sofia e Shug – uma vez que as percebemos como as principais representantes do “womanismo” no romance. Partimos da hipótese de que alguns aspectos “womanistas”, tais como religião e homossexualidade, foram suavizados na tradução, devido a questões contextuais, enquanto outros foram enfatizados porque se adequavam à poética, tanto do diretor, quanto do cinema da década de oitenta. Como fundamentação teórica, recorremos aos postulados de Even-Zohar (1990), sobre a teoria dos polissistemas, e aos pressupostos de Toury (2012), que entendem os estudos da tradução com ênfase no fator cultural, considerando a influência que a cultura de chegada exerce sobre o processo tradutório. Baseamo-nos também no conceito de reescritura, de Lefevere (2007), que enfatiza o caráter histórico e cultural dos textos traduzidos. Sobre as questões de tradução de obras literárias para o cinema, empregamos os estudos de Cattrysse (1992), e as considerações de autores, tais como Stam (2008; 2011) e Hutcheon (2013), que discutem sobre a relação entre os dois sistemas de linguagem. Por fim, no que se refere ao “womanismo”, as reflexões de Maparyan (2012), bem como da própria Walker (1983) são fundamentais na condução da análise. Os resultados mostraram que as estratégias de suavização e ênfase na tradução dos traços “womanistas” das personagens femininas dizem respeito à poética dos tradutores, bem como às especificidades do sistema cinematográfico. Por isso, na adaptação, elas refletem muito mais a poética do diretor e do cinema hollywoodiano dos anos oitenta, do que o “womanismo” observado na obra literária.

MA (English) / Department of English

This study pursues the quest and struggle for total liberation in post-independence Shona poetry. The study also relies on views of key respondents obtained through interviews and questionnaires. Couched and guided by Afrocentricity and Africana womanism, the study elucidates the politico-economic and socio-cultural factors that militate against Africa’s total liberation in general as well as women’s liberation, respectively. Simultaneously, critical judgments are passed on the extent to which poets immerse their art in African existential philosophy. The study is energized by the idea that pursuing the quest for authentic liberation provides a lens through which one can understand threats to Africa’s true liberation. It observes that poets and key informants largely attribute ersartz independence to internal problems. The researcher holds that it is problematic to hold a domesticated vision of the African condition to the extent that poets and other literary workers need to widen their canvas beyond fighting internal oppression and internationalise the struggle. The researcher argues that it is myopic and self-defeating to protest against Africa itself without giving adequate attention to the incapacitating hegemonic world system. Therefore, the poetry is lacking on its critique on domination. The centerpiece of the thesis is that in order to be purposeful and functional, poets need to grapple with both endogenous and exogenous factors that obstruct the march towards genuine liberation. The study also observes that in some instances poets produce cheap literature which is marked by a narrow and moralistic approach and this is attributable to the fact that poets lack a scientific vision in understanding reality. Concerning women’s authentic liberation, the commonly identified obstacles to women’s freedom are the male counterpart, self-depreciation, lack of education and culture. The study observes that women poets in Ngatisimuke (1994) and key respondents seem to approach gender relations from a feminist perspective and hence fail to situate women’s condition in the context of the history and culture that shape African gender relations. Women poets in Ngatisimuke fall short of internationalising their struggle in concert with the male counterpart such that their poetry degenerates into sponsored and misguided activism. / African Languages / D. Litt. et Phil. (African Languages)

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Using womanist theory as a theoretical framework, this study has analyzed identity formation and self-empowerment. Adichie is considered a feminist writer, but her ideals and ideas are very different from Western ideals and aim to survive and challenge patriarchal culture. In her debut novel, Purple Hibiscus, Adichie argues for a change in society's attitude toward the oppression of women and children. Adichie articulates a womanist ideology that relates to universal human suffering. This study considers the postcolonial background of the main characters, who confront the hybridity that occurs with identities that encounter a postcolonial culture. The domination of women is the most basic form of female subjugation in postcolonial Nigerian society. This is largely due to the cultural influences of patriarchal culture inherent in African society, which promotes prejudice against women and accepts violence against women and children as normal. Patriarchal violence is analyzed to explain how surveillance and punishment imprison the characters in the novel and isolate them from others. This analysis aims to show that liberation from oppression is only possible through unity with others, courage, and the achievement of dignity. / <p>Slutgiltigt godkännandedatum: 2022-06-28</p>

In this thesis, the research focuses on the role and presentation of women in Zulu traditional literature. Employing feminism as a literary canon, the research investigates whether the perceived oppression of Zulu women is reflected in such Zulu folklore. The research aims to establish whether or not folklore was used as a corrective measure or avenue of correcting gender imbalances. This dissertation proceeds from the premise that the traditional Zulu society or culture attached to women certain stereo-typical images which projected them as witches, unfaithful people, unfit marriage partners on the other hand or brave care givers, loving mothers and upright members on the other hand. Using feminism as a scientific approach, the study investigates whether these projections were not oppressive on Zulu women. The study is scientifically organised into various chapters dealing with various subjects e.g. the feminist theory (chapter 2), portrayal of Zulu women in folktales (chapter3), in proverbs (chapter 4) and praise-poetry (chapter 5). The study concludes that the traditional Zulu woman felt depressed by this patriarchal discrimination especially in the marriage situation. In the day and age of African Renaissance, the study recommend that it is imperative for women to mould their children, especially their sons to adapt to the idea that women have changed, they have rights and priviledges which could intimidate their male ego. / African Languages / D. Litt. et Phil. (African languages)