Domestic matters
Representations of home in the writings of Mariama B, Calixthe Beyala and Aminata Sow Fall
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 6150606 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Mildred Mortimer (0000-0002-8052-4853, University of Colorado., corresponding author) |
| Year | 2007 |
| Volume | 10 |
| Issue | 1 |
| Pages | 67-83 |
| Publication date | 2007-03-07 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | No |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | International Journal of Francophone Studies (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 1368-2679 • E-ISSN: 1758-9142 |
| Publisher | Intellect (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1386/ijfs.10.1and2.67_1 |
| OpenAlex | W1999813523 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 11 |
Beginning with Mariama B's Une si longue lettre [So long a letter] , this article examines representations of domestic space in francophone African women's fiction. In B's text, woman's subjectivity is inextricably linked to domestic space and domesticity is valued as both a refuge and a site of rebellion. The study continues with an analysis of two texts that are bolder and more aggressive in their struggle against patriarchy than B's novel: Calixthe Beyala's C'est le soleil qui m'a brle [The Sun hath looked upon me] and Aminata Sow Fall's Douceurs du bercail [Comforts of the fold] . Beyala counters B's nurturing mother figure and warm hearth with a cold house and no maternal presence. Sow Fall depicts a female protagonist who, refusing the limitations imposed upon the housewife, devotes her energies to a social project that will aid her community in Senegal. If home space functions as refuge (B), haunted house (Beyala), transitional space (Sow Fall), it is above all a subversive space where rebellion begins and often explodes. Thus, domestic space plays a crucial role in the female protagonist's empowerment
Art · Fall of man · Housewife · Literature · Patriarchy · Political science · Politics · Sociology · Subjectivity · Subversion · American and British Literature Analysis · Caribbean and African Literature and Culture · Cultural History and Identity Formation · Gender Studies · History · Law · Philosophy
| Citation velocity | historical |
|---|---|
| Highly cited | No |