Race, Class, Gender, and Language in Bulawayo’s We Need New Names
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 17825262 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Khalid Ahmed (0000-0001-7162-1427, INTI International University, corresponding author), Hassan Mahmood (0000-0003-1830-4048, COMSATS University Islamabad), Sardaraz Khan (0000-0001-8345-8962, University of Science and Technology Bannu), Aasia Nusrat (0000-0002-0653-4148, COMSATS University Islamabad, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2026 |
| Volume | 10 |
| Issue | 2 |
| Pages | 45-45 |
| Publication date | 2026-04-14 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Genealogy (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 2313-5778 • E-ISSN: 2313-5778 |
| Publisher | MDPI AG (PUBLISHER • IT) |
| DOI | 10.3390/genealogy10020045 |
| OpenAlex | W7154424026 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 29 |
This study analyses NoViolet Bulawayo’s We Need New Names through the framework of intersectional feminism, a concept introduced by Kimberlé Crenshaw that examines how multiple identities, such as race, gender, and class, intersect to shape distinct experiences of marginalization. Bulawayo’s narrative, centred on the protagonist Darling, reveals the complex social forces she encounters as she navigates cultural and geographic transitions. Through a blend of English and Shona, the text reflects cultural duality and the tensions of migration, including acculturation and displacement. The episodic structure mirrors the fragmentation inherent in Darling’s African upbringing and her transcontinental journey. The analysis situates the novel alongside contemporary works such as Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s Americanah and Yaa Gyasi’s Homegoing, highlighting shared thematic concerns with identity, oppression, and the migrant experience. Ultimately, the study argues that Bulawayo’s representation of intersecting identities enriches the novel’s engagement with gender, race, class, and the transformative potential of language in articulating minority experiences
Acculturation · Proposition · Self representation · Thematic analysis · Transformative learning · African history and culture studies · Postcolonial and Cultural Literary Studies · South African History and Culture
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Black Women, Writing and Identity
Re-framing women’s agency in #Blessed sex
The phallocentric paradox and semantics of Eve’s myth in Zimbabwe’s contemporary national politics
Patriarchy and Counter Discourses
Women’s Perceptions of Nature
Toward a Field of Intersectionality Studies
Feminist Migrant Solidarity
Silenced Knowing
The quest for epistemic freedom in African feminist theorizing
Intersectionality in African digital organizing
Critical perspectives on Teju Cole
African Intersectionalities and Decolonisation of African Women's and Gender Studies
Identity, Oppression, and Power
Intersectional Feminist Organizing
Gender, Black Feminism, and Black Political Economy
The Concept of Intersectionality in Feminist Theory
New names, translational subjectivities
Intersectionality
| Citation velocity | historical |
|---|---|
| Highly cited | No |