Masculinities in Nigerian Fiction - (Gender and the Body in Literature and Culture) by Uchechukwu Peter Umezurike (Hardcover)

About the Book

Reveals how Nigerian writers redefine masculinity to challenge social norms and affirm relationalities.

Book Synopsis

Masculinities in Nigerian Fiction: Receptivity and Gender examines the depictions of men, women and masculinities in Nigerian novels by Chinua Achebe, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, Jude Dibia and Chinelo Okparanta. It shows how these writers contest cultural models of manhood and womanhood by portraying characters who articulate openness towards the marginalised and stigmatised in society, thus challenging hegemonic gender and sexual norms. Uchechukwu Peter Umezurike employs receptivity as a theoretical and relational lens to analyse how these writers depict characters who identify with the suffering of others and those living in precarious conditions. This book centres ethics as a crucial element in redefinitions of masculinity. It emphasises the need to appreciate the full humanity of another, especially those the dominant culture usually discriminates against and renders abject in society.

Review Quotes

Dr. Umezurike holds a mirror to the African world. His works are decisively ethical and a breath of fresh air in African scholarship. Masculinities in Nigerian Fiction is an original book that promises to expand the growing interest in the construction of masculinity in the African imagination.--Chielozona Eze, Carleton College