This thesis investigates the effects of globalisation on identity formation and how this
specifically impacts on the ability of the intellectual to function in Nigerian society as presented
in three contemporary Nigerian novels. Chris Abaniâs Graceland (2004), Chimamanda Ngozi
Adichieâs Half of a Yellow Sun (2006) and Sefi Attaâs Everything Good Will Come (2006) are
examined in terms of the Afropolitan and Afrotransnational identities that Nigerians develop
through their encounters with and participation in the globalising processes, namely through
circulation and transformation (Ashcroft, 2009). These identities correlate with the extent to
which intellectuals are able to address the right audience with a message relevant to their context
and concerns and delivering this message effectively so as to affect a positive change in society
as required by Said (1994). The degree to which intellectuals fulfil these three requirements
determines whether they are labelled academics or vernacular intellectuals. The former consists
of those intellectuals who exhibit an Afropolitan identity which often causes them to use
predominantly western concepts and perspectives to define and explain African problems. They
also seldom go beyond discussing and theorising the causes and effects of problems in Africa.
Even when they are able to come up with solutions, they rarely translate this into practical
intellectual activity with others. On the other hand, vernacular intellectuals exhibit
Afrotransnational identities. Afrotransnational refers to the unique African expression of
transnationalism that Africans, and specifically Nigerians in this case, develop as they consume
and transform global products and ideas within the local. This enable intellectuals to draw from
both western and African knowledge, perspectives and practices and combine them in a manner
that allows them to work towards finding solutions for African problems. Vernacular
intellectuals are also able to meaningfully engage a wider audience in a manner that mobilises
them to take action that subverts and resists oppression. The Nigerian context with its militarypowered
dictators complicates the function of the intellectual as they disallow active
participation by members of society in the public sphere. Intellectuals, and indeed all member of
society, are consequently forced to either remain silent in the face of injustice and oppression,
making them complicit; taking revolutionary action in speaking the truth to power, which puts
their lives at risk; or finding alternative ways of resisting oppression. Functioning as vernacular intellectuals is further complicated for women in Nigeria. Like their male counterparts, they too
have to fulfil all three Saidâs (1994) requirements and have to overcome the effects of
dewomanisation (Sofola, 1998) which renders them unable to effectively engage with womenâs
issues in Nigeria due to their western education. The development of an Afrotransnational
identity enables them to combine the knowledge and practices from both sides of the urban and
rural divide to address womenâs issues. Women also have particular challenges in negotiating
this divide between the urban, modern and rural, traditional spaces in Nigeria. Patriarchal society
still imposes certain limitations on womenâs role in the home and society which affects the
extent to which they are allowed to function as vernacular intellectuals. Women can find ways of
liberating themselves from the limitations of motherhood and the kitchen by using these to their
own advantage, but the use of customary law alongside civil law still disempowers women to a
large extent in Nigeria. It is imperative that men and women collaborate in allowing women the
freedom to function as intellectuals in both the public and private spheres.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:netd.ac.za/oai:union.ndltd.org:ufs/oai:etd.uovs.ac.za:etd-07162013-153220 |
| Date | 16 July 2013 |
| Creators | Pretorius, Marilize |
| Contributors | Dr M Brooks, Prof HJ Strauss |
| Publisher | University of the Free State |
| Source Sets | South African National ETD Portal |
| Language | en-uk |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | text |
| Format | application/pdf |
| Source | http://etd.uovs.ac.za//theses/available/etd-07162013-153220/restricted/ |
| Rights | unrestricted, I hereby certify that, if appropriate, I have obtained and attached hereto a written permission statement from the owner(s) of each third party copyrighted matter to be included in my thesis, dissertation, or project report, allowing distribution as specified below. I certify that the version I submitted is the same as that approved by my advisory committee. I hereby grant to University Free State or its agents the non-exclusive license to archive and make accessible, under the conditions specified below, my thesis, dissertation, or project report in whole or in part in all forms of media, now or hereafter known. I retain all other ownership rights to the copyright of the thesis, dissertation or project report. I also retain the right to use in future works (such as articles or books) all or part of this thesis, dissertation, or project report. |
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