Politically induced economic precarity, syncretism and female representations in Chigumadzi’s Sweet Medicine
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 12330438 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Isaac Ndlovu (University of the Valley of Atemajac, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2016 |
| Volume | 30 |
| Issue | 3 |
| Pages | 96-103 |
| Publication date | 2016-07-02 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | No |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Agenda (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 1013-0950 • E-ISSN: 2158-978X |
| Publisher | Taylor & Francis (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1080/10130950.2016.1251227 |
| OpenAlex | W2559522511 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 2 |
| References cited | 8 |
Butler’s notion of precarity is useful in thinking through the situations of Panashe Chigumadzi’s representation of female characters in the novel Sweet Medicine. For Butler, precarity designates a politically induced condition in which certain populations suffer from failing social and economic networks of support more than others. Tsitsi, the female protagonist, is a staunch Catholic whose transition into adulthood coincides with the politically triggered catastrophic collapse of the Zimbabwean economy. Her rigid sensibilities have been shaped by a conservative religious single mother who believes that any sort of religious indiscretion is the work of the devil. On the other hand, Chiedza, Tsitsi’s friend, is a maverick. However, when the Zimbabwean economy unravels, both Tsitsi and Chiedza find that economic precariousness demands innovative syncretism. Utilising Butler’s further explication of precarity as the differential distribution of precariousness, the review explores the ways in which these three women and others negotiate their gendered lives in dealing with economic, emotional and psychological turmoil in one of the most spectacularly collapsed African economies
Epistemology · Explication · Negotiation · Political economy · Political science · Precarity · Representation (politics · Social science · Sociology · Syncretism (linguistics · African studies and sociopolitical issues · Gender Studies · Law · Microfinance and Financial Inclusion
| Unique citing works | 2 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 0,5 |
| Citation span | 2022 - 2026 (5) |
| Citation velocity | current |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 2 |