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158-564: Feminist analyses of Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie 's "The Headstrong Historian" read the short story as a revisioning of Chinua Achebe 's 1958 novel Things Fall Apart , offering a feminist perspective on the Southern Nigerian Igbo community and its experience with Western colonialism . Chikwenye Okonjo Ogunyemi criticises Nigerian literature for its exclusion of women. Adichie's contemporary Elleke Boehmer commends "The Headstrong Historian" for its feminist agenda, which

316-678: A MacArthur Fellowship in 2008 and induction into the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 2017. Adichie was born on 15 September 1977 and raised in Enugu , Nigeria, as the fifth out of six children to Igbo parents. Bearing Amanda as her English name , she made up the Igbo name "Chimamanda" in the 1990s to keep her legal English name and conform with the Igbo Christian naming customs. Adichie's father, James Nwoye Adichie,

474-539: A MacArthur Fellowship that same year, plus other academic prizes, including the 2011–2012 Fellowship of the Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study at Harvard University . While studying in the US, Adichie started researching and writing her first novel, Purple Hibiscus . She wrote it during a period of homesickness and set it in her childhood home of Nsukka. The book explores post-colonial Nigeria during

632-407: A TED Talk titled "The Danger of a Single Story." In the talk, Adichie expressed her concern that accepting one version of a story perpetrates myths and stereotypes because it fails to recognise the complexities of human life and situations. She argued that under-representation of the layers that make up a person's identity or culture deprives them of their humanity. Adichie has continued to reuse

790-591: A Western -educated Nigerian historian who resigned upon hearing that African history was to be added to the university syllabus. In later years, Grace returns to Nigeria and changes her name to Afamefuna, the Igbo name that Nwamgba had given her, meaning "My Name Will Not Be Lost". Michael L. Ross says that this revisionary gesture allows Grace to remap and retrieve her communal Igbo identity. Daria Tunca and Bénédicte Ledent say that, as third generation Igbo historians, both Grace and Adichie supplement Achebe's historical account of Igbo history by highlighting "the danger of

948-547: A "Buy Nigerian to Grow the Naira" campaign after the Nigerian naira experienced a devaluation. She set up an Instagram account that her nieces Chisom and Amaka managed, and gained around 600,000 followers. Adichie's goal was to help protect Nigeria's cultural heritage by showcasing the quality of craftsmanship and use of innovative hand-made techniques, materials and textiles being used by Nigerian designers. Just as important

1106-675: A 2011 report from the Center for American Progress . Gender roles may be a means through which one expresses one's gender identity , but they may also be employed as a means of exerting social control , and individuals may experience negative social consequences for violating them. Different religious and cultural groups within one country may have different norms that they attempt to "police" within their own groups, including gender norms. The roles of women in Christianity can vary considerably today (as they have varied historically since

1264-673: A Muslim character. For Igbo characters, she invents names that convey Igbo naming traditions and depict the character's traits, personality, and social connections. For example, in Half of a Yellow Sun , the character's name Ọlanna literally means "God's Gold", but Nwankwọ points out that ọla means precious and nna means father (which can be understood as either God the father or a parent). By shunning popular Igbo names, Adichie intentionally imbues her characters with multi-ethnic, gender-plural, global personas. She typically does not use English names for African characters but, when she does, it

1422-491: A Single Story" and "We Should All Be Feminists" were also aired at some of the events and discussed in the question-and-answer segment following her presentations. In 2015, Adichie wrote a letter to a friend and posted it on Facebook in 2016. Comments on the post convinced her to turn to a book, Dear Ijeawele, or A Feminist Manifesto in Fifteen Suggestions , which was an expansion of her ideas on how to raise

1580-511: A Single Story" had received more than 27 million views. As of 1 September 2023, the talk is one of the top 25 most viewed TED Talks of all time. According to Lisa Allardice, a journalist writing for The Guardian , Adichie became the "poster girl for modern feminism after her 2012 TED Talk 'We Should All Be Feminists' went stratospheric and was distributed in book form to every 16-year-old in Sweden". Adichie has become "a global feminist icon" and

1738-611: A Single Story", she conveys the message that there is no single truth about the past. Adichie is encouraging her readers to recognise their own responsibility to one another, and the injustice that exists in the world. Nigerian scholar Stanley Ordu classifies Adichie's feminism as womanist because her analysis of patriarchal systems goes beyond sexist treatment of women and anti-male bias , looking instead at socio-economic, political and racial struggles women face to survive and cooperate with men. For example, in Purple Hibiscus ,

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1896-472: A Yellow Sun , which she researched for four years, including studying Buchi Emecheta ' s 1982 novel Destination Biafra . The book was published in 2006 by Anchor Books , a trade-paperback imprint of Alfred A. Knopf , which also released the book later under its Vintage Canada label. It was also published in France as L'autre moitié du soleil in 2008, by Éditions Gallimard . The novel expands on

2054-705: A Yellow Sun and the stories collected in The Thing Around Your Neck , these themes symbolise the universality of power, or the impact and manifestation in society of its misuse. Adichie, in a 2014 article written for Elle , described becoming aware of a Western social norm that "women who wanted to be taken seriously were supposed to substantiate their seriousness with a studied indifference to appearance." The western concept contrasted with her upbringing in Nigeria, because in West Africa

2212-534: A Yellow Sun showed that that market could care about African histories". In an earlier article published in Brittle Paper , he stated that Half of a Yellow Sun ' s paperback release in 2006 sold 500,000 copies, the benchmark of commercial success for a book, by October 2009 in the UK alone. Her novel Americanah sold 500,000 copies in the US within two years of its 2013 release. As of 2022 , "The Danger of

2370-447: A Yellow Sun , and The Thing Around Your Neck such as stereotypical perceptions of Black women's physical appearance, their hair and their objectification. Dear Ijeawele stresses the political importance of using African names, rejecting colorism , exercising freedom of expression in how they wear their hair (including rejecting patronising curiosity about it) and avoiding commodification , such as marriageability tests, which reduce

2528-448: A Yellow Sun , in which one of her characters begins by opening the refrigerator and sees oranges, beer, and a "roasted shimmering chicken". These contrast to later in the novel where one of her characters dies of starvation, and others are forced to eat powdered eggs and lizards. Adichie usually use real places and historic figures to draw readers into her stories. In developing characters, Adichie often exaggerates attitudes to contrast

2686-405: A book called Pacifying with Bullets: A Reclaimed History of Southern Nigeria . Tunca says that Grace, and by extension Adichie, revises a Nigerian history as imagined by Western writers: the indefinite article in A Reclaimed History "suggests that her vision is only one among others". Tunca's analysis says that Grace acknowledges what Adichie herself refers to in her 2009 TED talk , "the danger of

2844-667: A chapter of his book on The Pacification of the Primitive Tribes of the Lower Niger . VanZanten says that this single chapter recalls the District Commissioner's reductive view of Africa. VanZanten considers this notion subverted in "The Headstrong Historian", in which it is the coloniser's book that has become a single chapter in Grace's textbook. Decades later, Grace becomes a historian herself and publishes

3002-448: A collaboration with Chiuri, who invited her as an honoured guest to sit in the front-row of the company's spring runway show during the 2016 Paris Fashion Week . Scholar Matthew Lecznar stated that Adichie often challenges feminist stereotypes through references to fashion. He stated that allowing Dior to feature her text was a skillful way to use various media forms to not only deliver political messaging, but also to develop her image as

3160-622: A collection of poems, and moved to the United States to study communications at Drexel University in Philadelphia , Pennsylvania. In 1998, she wrote a play called For Love of Biafra . Her early works were written under the name Amanda N. Adichie. Two years after moving to the United States, Adichie transferred to Eastern Connecticut State University in Willimantic, Connecticut , where she lived with her sister Ijeoma, who

3318-481: A conservative magazine. Tempted to walk out of the interview, Adichie decided to continue because she wanted to discuss her views on how economic disenfranchisement had led to Trump's victory. The debate turned adversarial when Tyrrell said "I do not respond emotionally like this lady", and then declared that "Trump hasn't been a racist". Adichie countered his statements and gave an example citing Trump's statement that Judge Gonzalo P. Curiel could not be impartial in

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3476-467: A cultural bridge to bring people together globally. Although Adichie was raised as a Catholic, she considers her views, especially those on feminism, to sometimes conflict with her religion. As sectarian tensions in Nigeria arose between Christians and Muslims in 2012, she urged leaders to preach messages of peace and togetherness. Adichie stated that her relationship to Catholicism is complicated because she identifies culturally as Catholic, but feels that

3634-704: A feminist daughter. The book was published in 2017. In 2020, Adichie published "Zikora", a stand-alone short story about sexism and single motherhood, and an essay "Notes on Grief" in The New Yorker , after her father's death. She expanded the essay into a book of the same name , which was published by Fourth Estate the following year. In 2020, Adichie adapted We Should All Be Feminists for children, in an edition illustrated by Leire Salaberria. Translations of it were authorised for publication in Croatian, French, Korean, Portuguese, and Spanish. Adichie spent

3792-467: A fuller beard), an Adam's apple , wearing a woman's dress and high heels, carrying a purse would most likely draw ridicule or other unfriendly attention in ordinary social contexts. Because the dominant class sees this form of gender expression as unacceptable, inappropriate, or perhaps threatening, these individuals are significantly more likely to experience discrimination and harassment both in their personal lives and from their employers, according to

3950-534: A heightened awareness of being part of the African diaspora, and adoption of a dual perspective that reshapes and transforms her sense of self. Awareness of Blackness as part of identity, initially a foreign concept to Africans upon arriving in the United States, is shown not only in those works, but also in her feminist tract, Dear Ijeawele or A Feminist Manifesto in Fifteen Suggestions . In it, she evaluates themes of identity that recur in Purple Hibiscus , Half of

4108-409: A light on how both sides of any conflict commit atrocities and neither side is blameless for the unfolding violence. Her narrative demonstrates that knowledge and understanding of diverse classes and ethnic groups is necessary to create harmonious multi-ethnic communities. Other forms of violence—including sexual abuse, rape, domestic abuse , and rage —are repeated themes in Purple Hibiscus , Half of

4266-478: A literary agent working at Pearson Morris and Belt Literary Management, accepted the manuscript. Although Morris recognised that marketing would be challenging, since Adichie was Black but neither African-American nor Caribbean. She submitted the manuscript to publishers until it was eventually accepted by Algonquin Books , a small independent company, in 2003. Algonquin published the manuscript and created support for

4424-466: A major in political science and a minor in communications in 2001. She later earned a master's degree in creative writing from Johns Hopkins University in 2003 and, for the next two years, was a Hodder Fellow at Princeton University , where she taught introductory fiction. She began studying at Yale University , and completed a second master's degree in African studies in 2008. Adichie received

4582-521: A medium to break down stereotypes, and was recognised with a Shorty Award in 2018 for her "Wear Nigerian Campaign". Adichie's 2009 TED Talk , "The Danger of a Single Story" is one of the most viewed TED Talks and her 2012 talk, "We Should All Be Feminists" was sampled by American singer Beyoncé as well as featured on a T-shirt by the French fashion house Dior in 2016. Adichie has received numerous academic awards, fellowships, and other honours, among them

4740-819: A memoir, Notes on Grief (2021); and a children's book, Mama's Sleeping Scarf (2023). Adichie was born and raised in Enugu , the capital of Enugu State . After her secondary education, she attended the University of Nigeria , where she was the editor of the school's magazine, The Compass . At nineteen, she left Nigeria for the United States to undertake further education at Drexel University , and would later study at three universities: Eastern Connecticut State University , Johns Hopkins University , and Yale University . Adichie grew up bilingually and writes in English and Igbo . Citing Chinua Achebe and Buchi Emecheta as her inspiration, she first published Decisions ,

4898-405: A military coup d'état , examines the cultural conflicts between Christianity and Igbo traditions , and touches on themes of class, gender, race, and violence. She sent her manuscript to publishing houses and literary agents, who either rejected it or requested that she change the setting from Africa to America to make it more familiar to a broader range of readers. Eventually, Djana Pearson Morris,

The Thing Around Your Neck - Misplaced Pages Continue

5056-399: A more traditional, less dominant role for the women. Hindu deities are more ambiguously gendered than the deities of other world religions. This informs female and males relations, and informs how the differences between males and females are understood. However, in a religious cosmology like Hinduism , which prominently features female and androgynous deities, some gender transgression

5214-512: A multi-faceted intellectual, literary and fashionable "transmedia phenomenon". She became the face of No.7 , a makeup brand division of British drugstore retailer Boots . In her 2016 Facebook post Dear Ijeawele, or A Feminist Manifesto in Fifteen Suggestions , Adichie argued that minimising femininity and its expression through fashion and makeup is "part of a culture of sexism". On 8 May 2017, Adichie announced her "Wear Nigerian" campaign on her Facebook page. The Nigerian government had launched

5372-406: A person based on that person's sex . Gender roles can be linked with essentialism , the idea that humans have a set of attributes that are necessary to their identity based on their gender. Sociologists tend to use the term "gender role" instead of "sex role", because the sociocultural understanding of gender is distinguished from biological conceptions of sex. In the sociology of gender ,

5530-447: A poetry collection, in 1997, which she followed with a play, For Love of Biafra , in 1998. Her father's story during the war supplied material for her second novel Half of a Yellow Sun . Adichie's style juxtaposes Western and African influences, with particular influence from the Igbo culture. Most of her works, including her writing and speeches, explore the themes of religion, immigration, gender and culture. She also uses fashion as

5688-562: A postdoctoral fellow at the African Centre for Migration & Society at the University of the Witwatersrand stated that Adichie's fame led to her comments on trans women being elevated and the voices of other African women, both trans and cis, being silenced. According to Camminga, Adichie disregarded her own advice in "The Danger of a Single Story" by telling a "single story of trans existence". In 2009, Adichie delivered

5846-467: A professor of history, in an evaluation of scholarship in Nigeria, criticised the policy of elevating academic figures prematurely. He argued that scholarship, particularly in the humanities, should challenge policies and processes to strengthen the social contract between citizens and government. He suggested that the focus should shift from recognising scholars who merely influenced other scholars to acknowledging intellectuals who use their talents to benefit

6004-570: A protest that saw Igbo women challenge the policies of the colonial government. Rhonda Cobham's feminist reading says that while Achebe mentions the Women's Council, he does not establish its civic agency, which saw women intervene in community disputes by " sitting on " men, thereby publicly shaming them. Cobhman says that Adichie locates Nwamgba's protests to the Women's Council in a historical context that counters Achebe's representation of oppressed Igbo women. In her youth, Nwamgba defeats her brother in

6162-474: A range of cultures. In addition, gender roles (and perceived gender roles) vary based on a person's race or ethnicity . Gender roles influence a wide range of human behavior , often including the clothing a person chooses to wear, the profession a person pursues, manner of approach to things, the personal relationships a person enters, and how they behave within those relationships. Although gender roles have evolved and expanded, they traditionally keep women in

6320-550: A recognised "public thinker" per journalist Lauren Alix Brown. Parts of Adichie's TEDx Talk were sampled in the song " Flawless " by singer Beyoncé on 13 December 2013. When asked in an NPR interview about that, Adichie responded that "anything that gets young people talking about feminism is a very good thing." She later refined the statement in an interview with the Dutch newspaper De Volkskrant , saying that she liked and admired Beyoncé and gave permission to use her text because

6478-541: A role in gendered behavior, the extent of its effects on gender roles is less clear. One hypothesis attributes differences in gender roles to evolution . The sociobiological view argues that men's fitness is increased by being aggressive, allowing them to compete with other men for access to females, as well as by being sexually promiscuous and trying to father as many children as possible. Women are benefited by bonding with infants and caring for children. Sociobiologists argue that these roles are evolutionary and led to

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6636-426: A series of talks focusing on African affairs was being organised by her brother Chuks, who worked in the technology and information development department there, and she wanted to help him. In her presentation, "We Should All Be Feminists", Adichie stressed the importance of reclaiming the word "feminist" to combat the negative connotations previously associated with it. She said that feminism should be about exploring

6794-493: A single story" and providing a more authentically recorded womanist perspective of Igbo past. The Thing Around Your Neck was generally well received upon release. Culture Critic assessed critical response as an aggregated score of 81% based on British press reviews. In Bookmarks September/October 2009 issue, a magazine that aggregates critic reviews of books, the book received a [REDACTED] [REDACTED] [REDACTED] [REDACTED] [REDACTED] (4.00 out of 5) with

6952-570: A single story" in representing the history of an entire people. In her Ted Talk, Adichie details how a reader believed that the abusive father in Purple Hibiscus represented all African men: Adichie notes that "The single story creates stereotypes. And the problem with stereotypes is not that they are untrue, but that they are incomplete. They make one story become the only story". The future Grace teaches at an Igbo school and delivers seminars on southern Nigerian history after learning about

7110-484: A storyteller, and her motives for addressing systemic inequalities to create a more inclusive world. Adichie has been the keynote speaker at numerous global conferences. In 2018, she spoke at the seventh annual International Igbo Conference, and encouraged the audience to preserve their culture and fight misconceptions and inaccuracies about Igbo heritage. She revealed in her presentation " Igbo bu Igbo " ("Igbo Is Igbo") that she only speaks to her daughter in Igbo, which

7268-522: A third gender. An androgyne or androgynous person is someone with qualities pertaining to both the male and female gender. Some individuals identify with no gender at all. Many transgender people identify simply as men or women, and do not constitute a separate third gender. Biological differences between (some) trans women and cisgender women have historically been treated as relevant in certain contexts, especially those where biological traits may yield an unfair advantage, such as sport. Gender role

7426-693: A venerated elder's myopic vision" of Igbo history. Kamene Okonjo presents a feminist reading of 'The Headstrong Historian,' which says that Adichie establishes the historicity of her narrative by invoking Achebe's colonial context and representing the Igbo dual-sex system. In Women in Africa , Okonjo details how dual-sex systems in pre-colonial Igboland gave women greater authority than the Western single-sex system. Research works by Nkiru Nzegwu and Ifi Amadiume also discuss Igbo women's collective agency. In "The Headstrong Historian", Nwamgba receives support from

7584-410: A way that predisposes one to engaging in criminal behavior (including juvenile delinquency ). With regard to gender stereotypes , the societal roles and differences in power between men and women are much more strongly indicated than is a biological component. Ideas of appropriate gendered behavior vary among cultures and era, although some aspects receive more widespread attention than others. In

7742-605: A way to marry idealism and pragmatism because there are complicated shades of grey everywhere". Adichie co-curated the 2015 Pen World Voices Festival in New York City, along with Laszlo Jakab Orsos. i The festival theme was contemporary literature of Africa and its diaspora. She closed the conference with her Arthur Miller Freedom to Write lecture, which focused on censorship and using one's voice to speak out against injustices. In addressing her audience, she pointed out cultural differences between Nigeria and America, such as

7900-757: A welcome, authentic voice to this most universal of emotions, which is also one of the most universally avoided." She has been widely recognised as "the literary daughter of Chinua Achebe." Jane Shilling of the Daily Telegraph called her "one who makes storytelling seem as easy as birdsong". Gender role A gender role , or sex role , is a set of socially accepted behaviors and attitudes deemed appropriate or desirable for individuals based on their sex. Gender roles are usually centered on conceptions of masculinity and femininity . The specifics regarding these gendered expectations may vary among cultures, while other characteristics may be common throughout

8058-671: A woman', and walks into the women's bathroom, and a woman goes, 'You're not supposed to be here', and she's transphobic?" The interview, according to the LGBT magazine PinkNews shows that Adichie "remains insensitive to the nuances or sensitivities of the ongoing fight for trans rights" and thus, criticised her for perpetuating "harmful rhetoric about trans people". Cheryl Stobie of the University of KwaZulu-Natal in Pietermaritzburg , South Africa, said that Adichie supported an "exclusionary conceptualisation of gender". B. Camminga,

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8216-411: A woman's worth to that of a prize, seeing only her value as a man's wife. Her women characters repeatedly resist being defined by stereotypes and embody a quest for women's empowerment. Adichie's works often deal with inter-generational explorations of family units, allowing her to examine differing experiences of oppression and liberation. In both Purple Hibiscus and "The Headstrong Historian"—one of

8374-526: A wrestling match. This is considered by Daria Tunca to be an inversion of Okonkwo's masculinity , which was earned as a result of his own wrestling victory. Tunca says that Adichie further remaps the ideal of masculinity in Things Fall Apart by presenting Obierika as a flute player, which is described in Achebe's text as an "unmanly" characteristic. Tunca also says that Achebe's Okonkwo is placed in

8532-592: A year and a half writing her first children's book, Mama's Sleeping Scarf , which was published in 2023 by HarperCollins under the pseudonym "Nwa Grace James". Joelle Avelino, a Congolese-Angolan artist, illustrated the book. The book tells the story of the connections between generations through family interactions with a head scarf. Adichie uses both Igbo and English in her works, with Igbo phrases shown in italics and followed by an English translation. She uses figures of speech, especially metaphors, to trigger sensory experiences. For example, in Purple Hibiscus ,

8690-463: Is "impossible, especially for the contemporary reader, not to be struck by the portrayal of gender in Things Fall Apart , and the equating of weakness and inability with femaleness". Adichie also defends the text and identifies Achebe's depiction of Okonkwo's headstrong daughter as an interrogation of the patriarchy . Susan Z. Andrade identifies Adichie as writing with Achebe, but from a gendered angle: Andrade notes that "The Headstrong Historian" tells

8848-560: Is "regarded as one of the most vital and original novelists of her generation". Her works have been translated into more than 30 languages. Obi-Young Otosirieze pointed out in his cover story about Adichie for the Nigerian magazine Open Country Mag in September 2021, that "her novels ... broke down a wall in publishing. Purple Hibiscus proved that there was an international market for African realist fiction post-Achebe [and] Half of

9006-481: Is "the product of social doings of some sort undertaken by men and women whose competence as members of society is hostage to its production." This approach is described by Elisabeth K. Kelan as an "ethnomethodological approach" which analyzes "micro interactions to reveal how the objective and given nature of the world is accomplished," suggesting that gender does not exist until it is empirically perceived and performed through interactions. West and Zimmerman argued that

9164-401: Is a Nigerian novelist, short-story writer and activist. Regarded as a central figure in postcolonial feminist literature , she is the author of the novels Purple Hibiscus (2003), Half of a Yellow Sun (2006) and Americanah (2013). Her other works include the book of essays We Should All Be Feminists (2014); Dear Ijeawele, or A Feminist Manifesto in Fifteen Suggestions (2017);

9322-448: Is a device to represent negative traits or behaviours. Adichie draws on figures from Igbo oral tradition to present facts in the style of historical fiction . She breaks with tradition in a way that contrasts with traditional African literature, given that women writers were often absent from the Nigerian literary canon , and female characters were often overlooked or served as supporting material for male characters who were engaged in

9480-453: Is allowed. This group is known as the hijras , and has a long tradition of performing in important rituals, such as the birth of sons and weddings. Despite this allowance for transgression, Hindu cultural traditions portray women in contradictory ways. Women's fertility is given great value, but female sexuality is depicted as potentially dangerous and destructive. The institution of marriage influences gender roles, inequality, and change. In

9638-482: Is considerably relevant and stated that she was a major voice in the Third Generation of Nigerian writers , while Izuu Nwankwọ called her invented Igbo naming scheme as an "artform", which she has perfected in her works. He lauded her ability to insert Igbo language and meaning into an English-language text without disrupting the flow or distorting the storyline. In the judgement of Ernest Emenyonu , one of

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9796-739: Is demonstrated by characters changing their names, a common theme in Adiche's short fiction, which serves to point out hypocrisy. By using the theme of immigration, she is able to develop dialogue on how her characters' perceptions and identity are changed by living abroad and encountering different cultural norms. Initially alienated by the customs and traditions of a new place, the characters, such as Ifemelu in Americanah , eventually discover ways to connect with new communities. Ifemelu's connections are made through self-exploration, which, rather than leading to assimilating into her new culture, lead her to

9954-651: Is identified as extending Achebe's Things Fall Apart and challenging its account of Igbo history. Contemporary feminist scholar Anene Ejikeme notes that, since its publication in Western publishing outlets, Things Fall Apart has been celebrated as the authentic account of the late nineteenth-century Igbo experience during the colonial era. Neil ten Kortenaar defines Achebe as a 'historian of Igboland'. While this has been argued, Achebe maintains that "the world's stories should be told from many different perspectives". Ejikeme says that Adichie "forces us to acknowledge that there

10112-608: Is not a "single story"of the Igbo past" by revising Achebe's account and claiming a space for Igbo women. "The Danger of a Single Story" is one of Adichie's TED Talks . Adichie says that "The Headstrong Historian" was written in an effort to "imagine the life of [her] great-grandmother" after first reading Things Fall Apart , which she saw as a representation of her "great-grandfather's life". In response to this gendered revisioning, Anene Ejikeme says that while ""The Headstrong Historian" writes with Achebe's canonical work, to say that "The Headstrong Historian" completes Things Fall Apart

10270-541: Is not the same thing as gender identity , which refers to the internal sense of one's own gender, whether or not it aligns with categories offered by societal norms. The point at which these internalized gender identities become externalized into a set of expectations is the genesis of a gender role. According to social constructionism , gendered behavior is mostly due to social conventions. Theories such as evolutionary psychology disagree with that position. Most children learn to categorize themselves by gender by

10428-462: Is to foreclose the possibility of Africans telling multiple stories about the Igbo past". While Ejikeme argues that Adichie challenges Achebe's canonical authority, Brian Doherty maintains that Adichie's feminising of the Igbo colonial experience is not exclusively critical. Doherty says that Adichie's feminist revision does not reimagine mis represented perspectives in Achebe's text, but under represented perspectives, which acts as "a corrective lens to

10586-571: Is typically at the forefront of her works, which celebrate Igbo language and culture , and African patriotism, in general. Her writing is an intentional dialogue with the West, intent on reclaiming African dignity and humanity. A recurring theme in Adichie's works is the Biafran War. The civil war was a "defining moment" in the post-colonial history of Nigeria, and examining the conflict dramatises

10744-464: Is visited by her granddaughter Grace. At Nwangba's bedside, Grace puts "down her schoolbag, inside of which was her textbook with a chapter called "The Pacification of the Primitive Tribes of Southern Nigeria", by an administrator from Worcestershire who had lived among them". Susan VanZanten identifies this as a direct intertextual allusion to Achebe's Things Fall Apart , which sees the local District Commissioner contemplate narrating Okonkwo's life in

10902-713: The World Values Survey , responders were asked if they thought that wage work should be restricted to only men in the case of shortage in jobs: in Iceland the proportion that agreed with the proposition was 3.6%; while in Egypt it was 94.9%. Attitudes have also varied historically. For example, in Europe, during the Middle Ages, women were commonly associated with roles related to medicine and healing. Because of

11060-527: The Charismatic and Pentecostal movements have embraced the ordination of women since their founding. Christian " saints ", persons of exceptional holiness of life having attained the beatific vision ( heaven ), can include female saints. Most prominent is Mary, mother of Jesus who is highly revered throughout Christianity, particularly in the Catholic and Orthodox churches where she is considered

11218-606: The United Arab Emirates , non-Muslim Western women can wear crop tops, whereas Muslim women are expected to dress much more modestly when in public. In some Muslim countries, these differences are sometimes even codified in law. In some Muslim-majority countries, even non-Muslim women are expected to follow Muslim female gender norms and Islamic law to a certain extent, such as by covering their hair. (Women visiting from other countries sometimes object to this norm and sometimes decide to comply on pragmatic grounds, in

11376-598: The code of silence , which, in the United States, often acts as censorship . She stated that molding a story to fit an existing narrative, such as characterising the Boko Haram 's kidnapping of schoolgirls as equal to the Taliban's treatment of women , is a form of censorship which hides the truth that Boko Haram opposes western-style education for anyone. Although she did not speak of her father's recent kidnapping and release, writer Nicole Lee of The Guardian said that

11534-595: The interactionist approach, gender roles are not fixed but are constantly renegotiated between individuals. Geert Hofstede , a Dutch researcher and social psychologist who dedicated himself to the study of culture, sees culture as "broad patterns of thinking, feeling and acting" in a society In Hofstede's view, most human cultures can themselves be classified as either masculine or feminine. Masculine culture clearly distinguishes between gender roles, directing men to "be assertive, tough, and focused on material success," and women to "be more modest, tender, and concerned with

11692-405: The intersections of oppression, such as how class, race, gender and sexuality influence equal opportunities and human rights, causing global gender gaps in education, pay and power. In 2015, Adichie returned to the theme of feminism at the commencement address for Wellesley College and reminded students that they should not allow their ideologies to exclude other ideas and should "minister to

11850-578: The trans-Atlantic slave trade in school and had no understanding of the racism associated with being Black in the United States or class structures in the United Kingdom. It explores the central message of a "shared Black consciousness", as both of the characters, one in Britain and the other in America, experiences a loss of their identity when they try to navigate their lives abroad. Adichie

12008-467: The " Theotokos ", i.e. "Mother of God". Women prominent in Christianity have included contemporaries of Jesus, subsequent theologians, abbesses, mystics, doctors of the church , founders of religious orders, military leaders, monarchs and martyrs, evidencing the variety of roles played by women within the life of Christianity. Paul the Apostle held women in high regard and worthy of prominent positions in

12166-418: The "private" sphere, and men in the "public" sphere. Various groups, most notably feminist movements, have led efforts to change aspects of prevailing gender roles that they believe are oppressive , inaccurate, and sexist . A gender role , also known as a sex role , is a social role encompassing a range of behaviors and attitudes that are generally considered acceptable, appropriate, or desirable for

12324-627: The 2018 PEN World Voices Festival, Arthur Miller Freedom to Write Lecture at Cooper Union in Manhattan. Although the speech was centered on feminism and censorship, Adichie's questioning of why Clinton's Twitter profile began with "wife" instead of her own accomplishments became the focus of media attention, prompting Clinton to change her Twitter bio. Later that year, she spoke at the Frankfurt Book Fair in Germany about breaking

12482-555: The 5 July edition of the Vatican's newspaper L'Osservatore Romano . In her article, " Sognare come un'unica umanitàs " ("Dreaming as a Single Humanity"), Adichie recalled being berated at her mother's funeral for having criticised the church's focus on money, but she also acknowledged that Catholic rituals gave her solace during her mourning. She stated that Pope Francis' call in Fratelli tutti for recognition of everyone as part of

12640-496: The Biafran conflict, weaving together a love story that includes people from various regions and social classes of Nigeria, and how the war and encounters with refugees changes them. While completing her Hodder and MacArthur fellowships, Adichie published short stories in various magazines. Twelve of these stories were collected into her third book, The Thing Around Your Neck , published by Knopf in 2009. The stories focuses on

12798-646: The British newspaper, The Guardian , calling the essay "perfectly reasonable". That interview sparked a Twitter backlash from critics of her opinion, which included a former graduate of one of Adichie's writing workshops , Akwaeke Emezi . In response, Adichie penned "It Is Obscene: A True Reflection in Three Parts" and posted it on her website in June 2021, criticising the use of social media to air out grievances. The following month, students who were members of

12956-464: The Catholic faith and spurred her decision to raise her child as Catholic. By 2021, Adichie stated that she was a nominal Catholic and only attended mass when she could find a progressive community focused on uplifting humanity. She clarified that "I think of myself as agnostic and questioning". That year, her reflections on Pope Francis's encyclical Fratelli tutti were published in Italian in

13114-535: The LGBT community at the University of Cape Town , South Africa, boycotted her public lecture on their campus. Adichie admitted in an interview with Otosirieze Obi-Young in September that she was "deeply hurt" by the backlash and began a period of self-reflection on her biases, informed by reading anything she could find to help her understand trans issues. In late 2022, she faced further criticism for her views after another interview with The Guardian when she said, "So somebody who looks like my brother—he says, 'I'm

13272-562: The University of Nigeria while her mother worked for the government in Enugu until 1973 when she became an administration officer at the University of Nigeria, and later the first female registrar . Adichie stayed at the University of Nigeria campus in the house previously occupied by Nigerian writer Chinua Achebe . Her siblings include Ijeoma Rosemary, Uchenna "Uche", Chukwunweike "Chuks", Okechukwu "Okey" and Kenechukwu "Kene". Adichie

13430-495: The University of Nigeria Campus Secondary School, with top distinction in the West African Examinations Council (WAEC), and numerous academic prizes. She was admitted to the University of Nigeria, where she studied medicine and pharmacy for a year and half, and served as the editor of The Compass , a student-run magazine in the university. In 1997, at the age of 19, Adichie published Decisions ,

13588-424: The Women's Council when her late husband's cousins steal his property and, as a result, several women "sit on" the cousins. One criticism of Achebe's Things Fall Apart focuses on the representation of women as powerless in the Igbo tribal system, beyond conducting marriage ceremonies. Judith Van Allen notes that early ethnographic studies of Igbo communities comment on the 1929 Women's War in southeastern Nigeria,

13746-676: The age of three. From birth, in the course of gender socialization, children learn gender stereotypes and roles from their parents and environment. Traditionally, boys learn to manipulate their physical and social environment through physical strength or dexterity, while girls learn to present themselves as objects to be viewed. Social constructionists argue that differences between male and female behavior are better attributable to gender-segregated children's activities than to any essential, natural, physiological, or genetic predisposition. As an aspect of role theory , gender role theory "treats these differing distributions of women and men into roles as

13904-511: The age" allowed her to use her celebrity "to demonstrate the power of dress and empower people from diverse contexts to embrace [fashion] ... which has everything to do with the politics of identity". Academics Floriana Bernardi and Enrica Picarelli credited her support of the Nigerian fashion industry with helping put Nigeria "at the forefront" of the movement to use fashion as a globally-recognised political mechanism of empowerment. Toyin Falola ,

14062-545: The apology, Adichie attempted to clarify her statement, by stressing that girls are socialised in ways that damage their self-worth, which has a lasting impact throughout their lives, whereas boys benefit from the advantages of male privilege, before transitioning. Some accepted her apology, and others rejected it as a trans-exclusionary radical feminist view that biological sex determines gender. The controversy emerged again in 2020 when Adichie voiced support for J. K. Rowling 's article on gender and sex, in an interview in

14220-486: The arrival of a king to challenge colonial and religious leaders symbolises Palm Sunday , and the usage of language referencing Chinua Achebe's Things Fall Apart invokes the memories of his work to her readers. Similarly, the name of Kambili, a character in Purple Hibiscus , evokes " i biri ka m biri " ("Live and Let Live"), the title of a song by Igbo musician Oliver De Coque . To describe pre- and post-war conditions, she moves from good to worse as seen in Half of

14378-429: The attention that a person pays to their fashion and style correlates to the amount of prestige and respectability they will be given by society. She began to recognise that people were judged for the way that they dressed. In particular, women writers wrote disparagingly about or trivialised attention to fashion, depicting woman who enjoyed fashion and makeup as silly, shallow or vain and without any depth. Acknowledging

14536-602: The book by providing advance copies to booksellers, reviewers, and media houses, and sponsoring Adichie on a promotional tour. They also sent the manuscript to Fourth Estate , who accepted the book for publication in the United Kingdom in 2004. During that period, Adichie hired an agent, Sarah Chalfant of the Wylie Agency , to represent her. Purple Hibiscus was later published by Kachifo Limited in Nigeria in 2004, and subsequently translated into more than 40 languages. After her first book, Adichie began writing Half of

14694-491: The case Low v. Trump University because of his Mexican heritage. After the debate, she wrote on her Facebook that she felt ambushed by the BBC and that they had "sneakily [pitted her] against a Trump supporter" to create adversarial entertainment. In response, the BBC issued an apology for not informing her of the nature of the interview, but claimed they had designed the program to offer a balanced perspective. Adichie delivered

14852-475: The character Auntie Ifeoma embodies a womanist view through making all family members to work as a team and with consensus, so that each person's talents are utilised to their highest potential. In both her written works and public speaking, Adichie incorporates humour, and uses anecdotes , irony and satire to underscore a particular point of view. Adichie has increasingly developed a contemporary Pan-Africanist view of gender issues, becoming less interested in

15010-457: The church's focus on money and guilt do not align with her values. In a 2017 event at Georgetown University , she stated that differences in ideology between Catholic and Church Missionary Society leaders caused divisions in Nigerian society during her childhood, and she left the church around the time of the inauguration of Pope Benedict XVI in 2005. She acknowledged that the birth of her daughter and election of Pope Francis drew her back to

15168-737: The church, though he was careful not to encourage disregard for the New Testament household codes , also known as New Testament Domestic Codes or Haustafelen , of Greco-Roman law in the first century. According to Dhami and Sheikh, gender roles in Muslim countries are centered on the importance of the family unit, which is viewed as the basis of a balanced and healthy society. Islamic views on gender roles and family are traditionally conservative. Many Muslim-majority countries, most prominently Saudi Arabia , have interpretations of religious doctrine regarding gender roles embedded in their laws. In

15326-636: The city, and she encouraged Black women to work with men to change the violent culture and celebrate their African roots. Her keynote address at the 2020 Congreso Futuro  [ es ] (Future Conference) in Santiago, Chile, focused on the importance of listening. She said that, to become an effective advocate, a person must understand a wide variety of perspectives. She stressed that people become better problem solvers if they learn to listen to people with whom they may not agree, because other points of view help everyone recognise their common humanity. She

15484-460: The colonial accounts of history and develops the means to contest its distortions through indigenous knowledge , by recognising that colonial literature tells only part of the story and minimises African contributions. Adichie illustrates this in Half of a Yellow Sun , when mathematics instructor Odenigbo , explains to his houseboy, Ugwu , that he will learn in school that the Niger River

15642-501: The crowd was aware of her personal ordeal, which made her speech "all the more poignant". In 2016, Adichie was invited to speak about her thoughts on Donald Trump 's election to the US Presidency for the BBC's program Newsnight . When she arrived at the studio, she was informed that the format would be a debate between her and R. Emmett Tyrrell, Jr. , a Trump supporter and the editor-in-chief of The American Spectator ,

15800-577: The cycles which silence women's voices. She stated that studies had shown that women read literature created by men and women, but men primarily read works by other men. She urged men to begin to read women writers' works to gain an understanding and be able to acknowledge women's struggles in society. In 2019, as part of the Chancellor's Lecture Series, she gave the speech "Writer, Thinker, Feminist: Vignettes from Life" at Vanderbilt University 's Langford Auditorium. The speech focused on her development as

15958-450: The differences between traditional and western cultures. Her stories often point out failed cultures, particularly those which leave her characters in a limbo between bad options. At times, she creates a character as an oversimplified archetype of a particular aspect of cultural behavior to create a foil for a more complex character. Adichie gives her characters recognisable common names for an intended ethnicity, such as Mohammed for

16116-526: The domination of women by men, especially in agricultural societies". According to Eagly et al., the consequences of gender roles and stereotypes are sex-typed social behavior because roles and stereotypes are both socially-shared descriptive norms and prescriptive norms. Judith Butler , in works such as Gender Trouble and Undoing Gender , contends that being female is not "natural" and that it appears natural only through repeated performances of gender; these performances, in turn, reproduce and define

16274-454: The establishment of traditional gender roles, with women in the domestic sphere and men dominant in every other area. However, this view pre-assumes a view of nature that is contradicted by the fact that women engage in hunting in 79% of modern hunter-gatherer societies. However, an attempted verification of this study found "that multiple methodological failures all bias their results in the same direction...their analysis does not contradict

16432-445: The experiences of Nigerian women, living at home or abroad, examining the tragedies, loneliness, and feelings of displacement resulting from their marriages, relocations, or violent events. The Thing Around Your Neck was a bridge between Africa and the African diaspora , which was also the theme of her fourth book, Americanah , published in 2013. It was the story of a young Nigerian woman and her male schoolmate, who had not studied

16590-412: The extreme what these days seems extraordinary for its complete denial of the notion of natural inclination." They concluded that gonads , hormones , and chromosomes did not automatically determine a child's gender role. Among the many terms Money coined was gender role, which he defined in a seminal 1955 paper as "all those things that a person says or does to disclose himself or herself as having

16748-529: The failure of contraception and an unexpected pregnancy, abandonment by her partner, single motherhood, social pressure and Zikora's identity crisis, and the various emotions she experiences about becoming a mother. Adichie's works show a deep interest in the complexities of the human condition. Recurrent themes are forgiveness and betrayal, as in Half of a Yellow Sun , when Olanna forgives her lover's infidelity, or Ifemelu's decision to separate from her boyfriend in Americanah . Adichie's examination of war shines

16906-805: The first century church). This is especially true in marriage and in formal ministry positions within certain Christian denominations, churches, and parachurch organizations . Many leadership roles in the organized church have been restricted to males. In the Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox churches, only men may serve as priests or deacons, and in senior leadership positions such as pope , patriarch , and bishop . Women may serve as abbesses . Some mainstream Protestant denominations are beginning to relax their longstanding constraints on ordaining women to be ministers, though some large groups are tightening their constraints in reaction. Many subsets of

17064-467: The human family and for their responsibility to care for each other allowed her to re-imagine what the church might be. Adichie is an activist and supporter of LGBT rights in Africa and has been vocal in her support for LGBT rights in Nigeria . She has questioned whether consensual homosexual conduct between adults rises to the standard of a crime, as crime requires a victim and harm to society. When Nigeria passed an anti-homosexuality bill in 2014, she

17222-464: The interest of their own safety , such as " modest " dress codes which failing to abide by risk being perceived as a prostitute .) Islamic prophet Muhammad described the high status of mothers in both of the major hadith collections ( Bukhari and Muslim). One famous account is: "A man asked the Prophet: 'Whom should I honor most?' The Prophet replied: 'Your mother'. 'And who comes next?' asked

17380-682: The intersections of class, culture, gender, (post-)imperialism, power, race and religion. Struggle is a predominant theme throughout African literature, and her works follow that tradition by examining families, communities, and relationships. Her explorations go beyond political strife and the struggle for rights, and typically examine what it is to be human. Many of her writings deal with the way her characters reconcile themselves with trauma in their lives and how they move from being silenced and voiceless to self-empowered and able to tell their own stories. Adichie's works, beginning with Purple Hibiscus , generally examine cultural identity. Igbo identity

17538-487: The issues that sparked it. The University of Nigeria, Nsukka reappears in Adichie's novels to illustrate the transformative nature of education in developing political consciousness, and symbolises the stimulation of Pan-African consciousness and a desire for independence in Half of a Yellow Sun . It appeared in both Purple Hibisus and Americanah as the site of resistance to authoritarian rule through civil disobedience and dissent by students. The university teaches

17696-423: The man. The Prophet replied: 'Your mother'. 'And who comes next?' asked the man. The Prophet replied: 'Your mother!'. 'And who comes next?' asked the man. The Prophet replied: 'Your father'" The Qur'an prescribes that the status of a woman should be nearly as high as that of a man. How gender roles are honored is largely cultural. While some cultures encourage men and women to take on the same roles, others promote

17854-404: The margins of Adichie's narrative: his name is mentioned twice, both in reference to his daughter. Conversely, Tunca also maintains that although Nwamgba "wrestled her brother to the ground", her father warns "everyone not to let the news leave the compound", in compliance with normative gender hierarchies . Adichie comments on the marginalisation of women in Things Fall Apart , stating that it

18012-650: The message drawn from the talk in her subsequent speeches, including her address at the Hilton Humanitarian Symposium of the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation in 2019. On 15 March 2012, Adichie became the youngest person to deliver a Commonwealth Lecture . The presentation was given at the Guildhall in London addressing the theme "Connecting Cultures". Adichie said, "Realistic fiction is not merely

18170-508: The most prominent scholars of Igbo literature , Adichie was "the leading and most engaging voice of her era" and he has described her as "Africa's preeminent storyteller". Toyin Falola , a professor of history, hailed her along other writers, as "intellectual heroes". Her memoir, Notes On Grief was positively praised by Kirkus Reviews as "an elegant, moving contribution to the literature of death and dying." Leslie Gray Streeter of The Independent said that Adichie's view on grief "puts

18328-403: The neighborhood to give a visible representation of the role of women in history and to serve as a symbol of equality. The neighborhood residents defeated a move by conservative politicians to remove the mural in 2021 through a petition drive of collected signatures. Luke Ndidi Okolo, a lecturer a Nnamdi Azikiwe University said: Adichie's novel treats clear and lofty subjects and themes. But

18486-599: The non-material quality of life, for children and for the weak. Feminine cultures, on the other hand, define relatively overlapping social roles for the sexes, in which, in particular, men need not be ambitious or competitive but may go for a different quality of life than material success; men may respect whatever is small, weak, and slow. In feminine cultures, modesty and relationships are important characteristics. This differs from masculine cultures, where self-enhancement leads to self-esteem. Masculine cultures are individualistic and feminine cultures are more collective because of

18644-480: The primary origin of sex-differentiated social behavior, [and posits that] their impact on behavior is mediated by psychological and social processes." According to Gilbert Herdt , gender roles arose from correspondent inference, meaning that general labor division was extended to gender roles. Social constructionists consider gender roles to be hierarchical and patriarchal. The term patriarchy, according to researcher Andrew Cherlin , defines "a social order based on

18802-439: The process whereby an individual learns and acquires a gender role in society is termed gender socialization . Gender roles are culturally specific, and while most cultures distinguish only two ( boy / man and girl / woman ), others recognize more. Some non-Western societies have three genders: men, women, and a third gender . Buginese society has identified five genders. Androgyny has sometimes also been proposed as

18960-468: The quality of life." Feminine cultures tolerate overlapping gender roles, and instruct that "both men and women are supposed to be modest, tender, and concerned with the quality of life." Hofstede's Feminine and Masculine Culture Dimensions states: Masculine cultures expect men to be assertive, ambitious and competitive, to strive for material success, and to respect whatever is big, strong, and fast. Masculine cultures expect women to serve and care for

19118-499: The recording of the real, as it were, it is more than that, it seeks to infuse the real with meaning. As events unfold, we do not always know what they mean. But in telling the story of what happened, meaning emerges and we are able to make connections with emotive significance." She stated that literature could build bridges between cultures because it united the imaginations of all who read the same books. Adichie accepted an invitation to speak in London in 2012, at TEDxEuston, because

19276-414: The relationship between beauty, fashion, style and socio-political inequalities, Adichie became committed to promoting body positivity as a means to acquire agency . She began to focus on body politics , taking particular pride in her African features such as her skin colour, hair texture and curves, and wearing bold designs featuring bright colours to make a statement about self-empowerment. Adichie

19434-459: The right to freedom of speech against those who undermine facts with partisan messaging. Adichie married Ivara Esege, a Nigerian doctor, in 2009, and their daughter was born in 2016. The family primarily lives in the United States because of Esege's medical practice, but they also maintain a home in Nigeria. Adichie has Nigerian nationality and permanent resident status in the US. Larissa MacFarquhar of The New Yorker stated that Adichie

19592-410: The rise of witch-hunts across Europe and the institutionalization of medicine, these roles became exclusively associated with men. In the last few decades, these roles have become largely gender-neutral in Western society . Vern Bullough stated that homosexual communities are generally more tolerant of switching gender roles. For instance, someone with a masculine voice, a five o'clock shadow (or

19750-453: The same historical narrative, detailing Igbo life through the protagonist's perspective and Igboland's experience under colonial rule. However, within this same cultural context, a different story is told; Adichie's account brings a woman from the periphery of Achebe's text into the centre. The chronology of "The Headstrong Historian" extends beyond Nwamgba's death and imagines the future of a third-generation Igbo woman. On her deathbed, Nwamgba

19908-621: The second annual Eudora Welty Lecture on 8 November 2017 at the Lincoln Theatre in Washington, D.C. The lecture was presented to a sold-out crowd and focused on her development as a writer. That year, she also spoke at the Foreign Affairs Symposium held at Johns Hopkins University. Her talk focused on the fragility of optimism in the face of the current political climate. Adichie and Hillary Clinton delivered

20066-438: The seduction of a friend's boyfriend in "Light Skin". Miscarriage, motherhood and the struggles of womanhood are recurring themes in Adichie's works, and are often examined in relation to Christianity, patriarchy , and social expectation. For example, in the short story "Zikora", she deals with the interlocking biological, cultural and political aspects of becoming a mother and expectations placed upon women. The story examines

20224-426: The sense of Max Weber's ideal types (an exaggerated and simplified version of a phenomenon, used for analytical purposes) rather than how they appear in reality. Model A described a total separation of male and female roles, while Model B described the complete dissolution of gender roles. The model is consciously a simplification; individuals' actual behavior usually lies somewhere between these poles. According to

20382-518: The significance of personal relationships. 'The dominant values in a masculine society are achievement and success; the dominant values in a feminine society are caring for others and quality of life'. "In the 1950s, John Money and his colleagues took up the study of intersex individuals, who, Money realized, 'would provide invaluable material for the comparative study for bodily form and physiology, rearing, and psychosexual orientation'." "Money and his colleagues used their own studies to state in

20540-413: The singer "reached many people who would otherwise probably never have heard the word feminism." But, she went on to state that the sampling caused a media frenzy with requests from newspapers world-wide who were keen to report on her new-found fame because of Beyoncé. Adichie said, "I am a writer and I have been for some time and I refuse to perform in this charade that is now apparently expected of me". She

20698-475: The socio-political and economic life of the community. Her style often focuses on strong women and adds a gendered perspective to topics previously explored by other authors, such as colonialism, religion, and power relationships. Adichie often separates characters into social classes to illustrate social ambiguities and traditional hierarchies. By using narratives from characters of different segments of society, as she reiterates in her TED talk, "The Danger of

20856-641: The spirit of the "bold LGBTQ activist [of] the African literary world where homosexuality is still treated as a fringe concept." Since 2017, Adichie has been repeatedly accused of transphobia , initially for saying that "my feeling is trans women are trans women" in an interview aired on Channel 4 in Britain. She apologised, and acknowledged that trans women need support and that they have experienced severe oppression, but she also stated that transgender women and other women's experiences are different, and one could acknowledge those differences without invalidating or diminishing either group's lived experience. After

21014-657: The state and serve as mentors to Nigerian youth. Adichie was among those he felt qualified as "intellectual heroes", who had "push[ed] forward the boundaries of social change". Adichie's book Half of a Yellow Sun was adapted into a film of the same title directed by Biyi Bandele in 2013. In 2018, a painting of Adichie was included in a wall mural at the Municipal Sport Center in the Concepción barrio of Madrid , along with 14 other historically influential women. The 15 women were selected by members of

21172-473: The status of boy or man, girl or woman." In recent years, the majority of Money's theories regarding the importance of socialization in the determination of gender have come under intense criticism, especially in connection with the inaccurate reporting of success in the "John/Joan" case, later revealed to be David Reimer . Candace West and Don H. Zimmerman developed an interactionist perspective on gender beyond its construction of "roles." For them, gender

21330-517: The stories included in The Thing Around Your Neck —Adichie examined these themes using the family as a miniature representation of violence. Female sexuality, both within patriarchal marriage relationships and outside of marriage, is a theme that Adichie typically uses to explore romantic complexities and boundaries. Her work discusses homosexuality in the context of marital affairs in stories such as "Transition to Glory", and taboo topics such as romantic feelings for clergy in Purple Hibiscus , as well as

21488-746: The studies have been identified. A study on 1950s American teenage girls who had been exposed to androgenic steroids by their mothers in utero exhibited more traditionally masculine behavior, such as being more concerned about their future career than marriage, wearing pants, and not being interested in jewelry. Sociologist Linda L. Lindsey critiqued the notion that gender roles are a result of prenatal hormone exposure, saying that while hormones may explain sex differences like sexual orientation and gender identity, they "cannot account for gender differences in other roles such as nurturing, love, and criminal behavior". By contrast, some research indicates that both neurobiological and social risk factors can interact in

21646-546: The subjects and themes, however, are not new to African novels. The remarkable difference of excellence in Chimamanda Adichie's Purple Hibiscus is the stylistic variation—her choice of linguistic and literary features, and the pattern of application of the features in such a wondrous juxtaposition of characters' reasoning and thought. Adichie's work has garnered significant critical acclaim and numerous awards. Book critics such as Daria Tunca wrote that Adichie's work

21804-495: The summary stating, "A few minor complaints included less-convincing American characters and some awkward endings, but all critics recognized Adichie as an accomplished storyteller whose careful study of her native land illuminates its foreignness as well as the similarities between us all". Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie ( / ˌ tʃ ɪ m ə ˈ m ɑː n d ə ə ŋ ˈ ɡ oʊ z i ə ˈ d iː tʃ i . eɪ / ; born 15 September 1977)

21962-497: The traditional categories of sex and/or gender. Working in the United States in 1955, Talcott Parsons developed a model of the nuclear family , which at that place and time was the prevalent family structure. The model compared a traditional contemporaneous view of gender roles with a more liberal view. The Parsons model was used to contrast and illustrate extreme positions on gender roles, i.e., gender roles described in

22120-808: The use of "role" to describe gender expectations conceals the production of gender through everyday activities. Furthermore, they stated that roles are situated identities, such as "nurse" and "student," which are developed as the situation demands, while gender is a master identity with no specific site or organizational context. For them, "conceptualizing gender as a role makes it difficult to assess its influence on other roles and reduces its explanatory usefulness in discussions of power and inequality." West and Zimmerman consider gender an individual production that reflects and constructs interactional and institutional gender expectations. Historically, gender roles have been largely attributed to biological differences in men and women. Although research indicates that biology plays

22278-407: The way in which the country's identity was shaped. Half of a Yellow Sun , her major work on the war, highlights how policies, corruption, religious dogmatism and strife played into the expulsion of the Igbo population and then forced their reintegration into the nation. Both actions had consequences, and Adichie presents the war as an unhealed wound because of political leaders' reluctance to address

22436-464: The way the West sees Africa and more interested in how Africa sees itself. Adichie, in a 2011 conversation with Kenyan writer Binyavanga Wainaina , stated that the overriding theme of her works was love. Using the feminist argument " The personal is political ", love in her works is typically expressed through cultural identity, personal identity and the human condition, and how social and political conflict impact all three. Adichie frequently explores

22594-623: The wide body of empirical evidence for gendered divisions of labor in foraging societies". Another hypothesis attributes differences in gender roles to prenatal exposure to hormones . Early research examining the effect of biology on gender roles by John Money and Anke Ehrhardt primarily focused on girls with congenital adrenal hyperplasia (CAH), resulting in higher-than-normal prenatal exposure to androgens . Their research found that girls with CAH exhibited tomboy -like behavior, were less interested in dolls, and were less likely to make-believe as parents. A number of methodological problems with

22752-518: The world in a way that can change it. Minister radically in a real, active, practical, 'get your hands dirty' way". She has spoken at many commencement ceremonies, including at Williams College (2017), Harvard University (2018), and the American University (2019). Adichie was the first African to speak at Yale University 's Class Day, giving a lecture in 2019 that encouraged students to be open to new experiences and ideas and "find

22910-535: Was a medical doctor there. In 2000, she published her short story "My Mother, the Crazy African", which discusses the problems that arise when a person is facing two completely opposite cultures. After finishing her undergraduate degree, she continued studying and simultaneously pursued a writing career. While a senior at Eastern Connecticut, she wrote articles for the university paper Campus Lantern. She received her bachelor's degree summa cum laude with

23068-559: Was among the Nigerian writers who objected to the law, calling it unconstitutional, unjust and "a strange priority to a country with so many real problems". She stated that adults expressing affection for each other did not cause harm to society, but that the law would "lead to crimes of violence". Adichie was close friends with Kenyan writer Binyavanga Wainaina , whom she credited with demystifying and humanising homosexuality when he publicly came out in 2014. Writer Bernard Dayo said that Adichie's eulogy to Wainaina in 2019 perfectly captured

23226-675: Was born in Umunnachi , Anambra State. Grace began her university studies in 1964, at Merritt College in Oakland , California, and later earned a degree in sociology and anthropology from the University of Nigeria. The Biafran War broke out in 1967 and James started working for the Biafran government at the Biafran Manpower Directorate. During the war, Adichie lost her maternal and paternal grandfathers. After Biafra ceased to exist in 1970, her father returned to

23384-518: Was born in Abba in Anambra State , and studied mathematics at University College, Ibadan , from which he graduated in 1957. James married Grace Odigwe on 15 April 1963, and moved with her to Berkeley in the United States, to complete his PhD at the University of California . After returning to Nigeria, he began working as a professor at the University of Nigeria at Nsukka in 1966. Her mother

23542-476: Was disappointed by the media portrayal, but acknowledged that "Thanks to Beyoncé, my life will never be the same again." Adichie was outspoken against critics who later questioned the singer's credentials as a feminist because she uses her sexuality to "pander to the male gaze". In defence of Beyoncé, Adichie said: "Whoever says they're feminist is bloody feminist." Scholar Matthew Lecznar said that Adichie's stature as "one of most prominent writers and feminists of

23700-433: Was discovered by a white man named Mungo Park , although the indigenous people had fished the river for generations. However, Odenigbo cautions Ugwu that, even though the story of Park's discovery is false, he must use the wrong answer or he will fail his exam. Adichie's works about African diaspora consistently examine themes of belonging, adaptation and discrimination. It is often shown as an obsession to assimilate and

23858-447: Was included on Vanity Fair ' s 2016 International Best-Dressed List , and cited Michelle Obama as her style idol. That year, Maria Grazia Chiuri , the first female creative director of French fashion company Dior , featured in her debut collection a T-shirt with the title of Adichie's TED talk, "We Should All Be Feminists". Adichie was surprised to learn that Dior had never had a woman rule its creative division and agreed to

24016-529: Was invited to be a visiting writer at the University of Michigan in Flint in 2014. The Renowned African Writers/African and African Diaspora Artists Visit Series required her to engage with students and teachers from high schools and universities, patrons of the local public library, and the community at large through forums, workshops, and lectures that discussed Purple Hibiscus , Americanah , and her personal writing experiences. Clips from her talks "The Danger of

24174-752: Was raised Catholic , and the family's parish was St. Paul's Parish in Abba. Adichie's father died of kidney failure in 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic , and her mother died in 2021. As a child, Adichie read only English-language stories especially by Enid Blyton . Her juvenilia included stories with characters who were white and blue-eyed, modeled on British children she had read about. At ten, she discovered African literature and read Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe, The African Child by Camara Laye , Weep Not, Child by Ngũgĩ wa Thiong'o , and Joys of Motherhood by Buchi Emecheta . Adichie began to study her father's Biafran stories when she

24332-608: Was selected as one of 15 women to appear on the cover of the issue of British Vogue in an issue guest-edited by Meghan, Duchess of Sussex . In a 2021 discussion at Düsseldorfer Schauspielhaus , Adichie spoke with the former Chancellor of Germany, Angela Merkel , and journalists Miriam Meckel and Léa Steinacker . They discussed that, for democracy to survive, people needed to preserve their traditions and history, be informed about intolerance and learn to accept diversity. Adichie said that she often uses fashion to educate people about diversity, and Merkel agreed that it could serve as

24490-429: Was the idea of persuading Nigerians to buy local products, as opposed to purchasing garments abroad, as had been done in the past. The posts on her page do not focus on her private life, but instead highlight her professional appearances all over the world, in an effort to show that style has the power to push boundaries and have global impact. She won a Shorty Award in 2018 for her "Wear Nigerian" campaign, and in 2019

24648-524: Was the keynote speaker of the 2021 Reykjavik International Literature Festival held in the Háskólbíó cinema at the University of Iceland , and presented the talk In Pursuit of Joy: On Storytelling, Feminism, and Changing My Mind. On 30 November 2022, Adichie delivered the first of the BBC 's 2022 Reith Lectures , inspired by Franklin D. Roosevelt 's " Four Freedoms " speech. Her talk explored how to balance

24806-534: Was the only language her daughter spoke at the age of two. Speaking at the inaugural Gabriel García Márquez Lecture in Cartagena, Colombia in 2019, Adichie addressed violence in the country and urged leaders to focus on educating citizens from childhood to reject violence and sexual exploitation and end violent behaviors. Her speech was given in the Nelson Mandela barrio, one of the poorest neighborhoods of

24964-408: Was thirteen. In visits to Abba, she saw destroyed houses and rusty bullets scattered on the ground, and would later incorporate them and her father's accounts into her novels. Adichie began her formal education, which included both Igbo and English. Although Igbo was not a popular subject, she continued taking courses in the language throughout high school. She completed her secondary education at

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