Bøger udgivet af Smart Moves

This section looks into the realistic and fictional experiences in the selected texts of the black women writers Buchi Emecheta and Flora Nwapa, the major themes in the selected literary texts, the status accorded to women in the pre-colonial, colonial and in the post-colonial Africa, and the impact of racism and slavery faced by the blacks in Africa. The selected texts represent the experiences and developing identities of Nigerian women. These texts present a different world with quite different standards from those that the reader might be familiar with. The texts selected for the study are Flora Nwapa's Efuru and Buchi Emecheta's Second-Class Citizen and The Joys of Motherhood. These texts have both fictional and autobiographical elements. Many recent literary works represent the slippage between fiction and autobiography. Literary works like Norma Kouri's Honor Lost: Love and Death in Modern day Jordan (2003), James Frey's A Million Little Pieces (2003) and Helen Demidenko's The Hand that Signed the Paper (1994) are examples of works that were originally regarded as autobiography but later came to be known as fictional works. Both Buchi Emecheta and Flora Nwapa serve as agents of change and beacon of hope for thousands of oppressed black women. Apart from narrating the authors' own experiences, their works reflect the violent suppression that numerous black women encounter in their lives. Both Nwapa and Emecheta write about issues and concerns in the lives of Igbo women affected by British colonialism. Their literary works examine the features of Igbo culture, women's wish for change and their desire to be accepted within their community. These texts place an emphasis on women as individual and analyses the impact of western education on their beliefs and values. The women characters evolve as the novels progress. They attain self-realization and become increasingly independent. This book attempts to analyze the situation of black women based on Buchi Emecheta's Second Class Citizen, The Joys of Motherhood and Flora Nwapa's Efuru. These texts are authentic as they are based on the true life experiences of black women. The selected texts draw on the real experiences of the writers as well as the experiences of numerous other black women living in similar circumstances whom these writers encounter within their community. Commenting on the writings of black women, Houston Baker critically observes "e;To understand our origins we must journey through different straits and in the end we may only find confusion"e; (Baker 1). Emecheta's Second-Class Citizen narrates the struggle and survival of the protagonist, Adah. Her shift from Nigeria to England is marked by deterioration in her status from high class position to a low class position. In England, she faces racism and struggles hard both as mother and wife. Like Adah, Buchi Emecheta who was born in Nigeria, near Lagos moved to England with her two children and her husband. Emecheta succeeded in graduating from London University with a degree in Sociology. The novel depicts her struggle to survive in a hostile white European society with a jealous and abusive husband.

Born on August 2, 1924, in New York City, James Baldwin published the 1953 novel Go Tell It on the Mountain, going on to garner acclaim for his insights on race, spirituality and humanity. Other novels included Giovanni's Room, Another Country and Just above My Head as well as essay works like Notes of a Native Son and The Fire Next Time. Having lived in France, he died on December 1, 1987 in Saint-Paul de Vence. This book tries to make it clear how James Baldwin reveals himself to be an eloquent and passionately committed humanist. As a black writer he pleaded the cause of blacks, but at the same time as a man he devoted himself whole-heartedly to the cause of humanity and in a world of hegemonic ideologies Baldwin articulates the agonies of black people not as a black writer but as an American and exposes, deconstructs and critiques the set agenda of socially motivated stereotypes jostled around the dehumanisation of negroes which to Baldwin was just like the kicking away our own identity, a menacing threat to our precarious security. Baldwin's power as a writer lies in his ability to blend deeply autobiographical with the political and social.

An internationally acclaimed Indian woman novelist, Manju Kapur, the Common Wealth Prize winner is also called the Jane Austen of India. Born on 6th August 1948 in Amritsar, she has lived through the turbulent times in India. She was graduated from the Miranda House University College for Women. Then she took her MA at Dalhousie University in Halifax in Nova Scotia and an M.Phil from Delhi University. She then returned to her alma mater Miranda House as a teacher and retired from there. As her father worked in the cultural attache in the Indian Embassy in America and Canada, she spent her childhood there. She is married to Gun Nidhi Dalmia, and has three children. She lives in Delhi. She is one of the famous post independence feminist writers who fought for the rights of women through her novels. She has written five full length novels. Difficult Daughters (1998), A Married Woman (2002), Home (2006), The Immigrant (2009) and Custody (2011) are her widely acclaimed novels. All her novels deal with the problems faced by Indian woman in her life and how she deals with these problems. Her debut novel Difficult Daughters won the Commonwealth Prize for First Novels (Eurasia Section) and became a best seller in India. Home was shortlisted for Hutch Crossword Book award.Many customs like Purdah system, child marriage, Sati, ban on remarriage etc prevailed in India and all these customs marginalized women. The feminists united to eradicate these social evils from our society. Preserving the culture of India, Manju Kapur wanted her characters to be strong enough to gain their genuine rights which society once denied. She is a post colonial feminist writer who raised her voice against the traditional patriarchal culture. She is the one who introduced the concept of 'New Woman' in Indian novels. Till then, the Indian feminist writers dealt with the pathetic condition Indian women suffered in this male dominated society. Manju Kapur wanted her protagonists to move a step forward from these woman stereotypes. She wanted a woman who questions the rules regulated by patriarchy and who breaks all the shackles which limits her from gaining an identity of her own. Though she craves for gender equality in all aspects, she never wants her characters, especially her women characters to move away from the culture of their mother country. There is an underlying moral in all her novels. She never wants her feminism to go beyond the limits of Indian culture. In Vedic religion, women were given the status of goddesses and it is believed that from their Shakthi emanated the male strength. The Vedas emphasized that women enjoyed a reasonably high position during the Vedic period. Two great epics of Hinduism, namely, Ramayana and Mahabharatha portray women in a good light. In Indian culture, the word which denotes strength and power is feminine, that is, Shakthi, and all male power is derived from this feminine. Then why she degrades herself by being a puppet in the hands of other men or engaging herself in activities beyond our culture. Kapur wants a new woman who should also be a role model for all others. A new woman which suits India. By being strong, she should never move away from her character. Cherishing the beauty and purity of her character, she should be strong enough to face the problems in her life. She should be chaste, never be spoilt. By seeking pleasure in extra marital relationships, women are proving themselves weak as well as worthless. A strong woman should have the ability to stand alone. Through her novels, she portrays women from different generations and their character to state her view.

The book, An Insight into the Horrors of Partition, Colonialism and Women's Issues, aims to explore, highlight and condemn various forms of oppression like the oppression of the downtrodden women in the patriarchal society, colonialism and mass trauma and exodus during the Partition of India.