Feminismo interseccional em Americanah, de Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

Abstract

This dissertation is based on the study of the fictional work Americanah, by Nigerian author Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, with which it is possible to follow Ifemelu's trajectory as an immigrant, woman and black in the United States, at the end of the decade of the nineties, 20th century. Despite being a contemporary narrative, the theme of immigration experienced by the characters is related to historical struggles, such as discrimination against women, racism, and xenophobia. The analysis goes through the issues mentioned through an intersectional perspective in line with feminism(s), being the character's trajectory, her attitudes, thoughts and behaviors the multiple possibilities of this reading. The aspects of black feminism and decolonial feminism, both involved in intersectionality, will be studied in depth, considering the oppressions that the main character experiences in the United States. Her social class, the fact that she is African, even in the eyes of other immigrants, as well as the color of her skin, determine the spaces to which she is free, the looks and possibilities allowed in the new country. Thus, this work aims to deepen the reflections that the narrative makes possible in conjunction with theoretical texts, with which we intend to reach conclusions that such issues and situations are experienced daily in humanity and today, despite not being new. Ifemelu, like many other women, subverts the hegemonic standards pre-established by gender and race, looking critically at the situations she experiences, which she shares in the blog she creates about racial issues. Throughout the narrative, her identity goes through numerous changes. Americanah shows us contrasts between Nigeria, so little studied by Brazilian literature, and the United States. Analyzing the work from a decolonial perspective leads us to rethink the epistemologies and the hegemony of concepts and Eurocentric knowledge, including in the feminist movement about the demands and specificities of African and black women.