A feminist analysis of Tsitsi Dangarembga's Nervous conditions (1988).

Abstract

The thesis provides a feminist analysis of the Zimbabwean women writer Tsitsi Dangarembga’s novel, Nervous Conditions (1988), reading the novel as a critique of African patriarchy. The thesis examines the different ways in which African patriarchy broadly manifests itself regarding the subaltern position of women. It then analyses a range of feminist theories, extracting from them concepts useful to an understanding of the novel. Finally, the thesis analyses in detail Dangarembga’s novel in the light of an understanding of African patriarchy and feminist theories.