van Klinken, A. orcid.org/0000-0003-2011-5537 (2024) The Problem of ‘Redemptive Masculinity’ in Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s Purple Hibiscus. In: Chitando, E., Mlambo, O.B., Mfecane, S. and Ratele, K., (eds.) The Palgrave Handbook of African Men and Masculinities. Palgrave Macmillan , pp. 373-384. ISBN 978-3-031-49166-5
Abstract
African literary texts serve an important purpose in representing and reimagining men and masculinities. The novel Purple Hibiscus by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie has been acclaimed for its critical take on religious and cultural patriarchy and for its progressive approach to gender. In the character of Papa Eugene, the novel problematises a patriarchal embodiment of male identity shaped by Nigerian ideals of the ‘Big Man’ as well as by conservative Catholic notions of masculinity. Alternatively, Eugene’s son, Jaja, can be seen as a character embodying what has been described as ‘redemptive masculinity’, illustrating the religious, indeed messianic, undertones of this concept. Yet the novel also demonstrates the problem that redemptive masculinity can pose to female agency. Through a close reading of Purple Hibiscus , this chapter reconstructs the novel’s complex account of masculinities, culture and religion, and critically evaluates the concept of redemptive masculinity that the novel appears to put forward.
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Item Type: | Book Section |
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Copyright, Publisher and Additional Information: | © The Author(s) 2024. This version of the article has been accepted for publication, after peer review (when applicable) and is subject to Springer Nature’s AM terms of use (https://www.springernature.com/gp/open-research/policies/accepted-manuscript-terms), but is not the Version of Record and does not reflect post-acceptance improvements, or any corrections. The Version of Record is available online at: http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-49167-2_19 |
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Institution: | The University of Leeds |
Academic Units: | The University of Leeds > Faculty of Arts, Humanities and Cultures (Leeds) > School of Philosophy, Religion and History of Science (Leeds) > Theology and Religious Studies (Leeds) |
Depositing User: | Symplectic Publications |
Date Deposited: | 11 Oct 2023 14:05 |
Last Modified: | 14 May 2024 14:07 |
Published Version: | https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-49167-2 |
Status: | Published |
Publisher: | Palgrave Macmillan |
Identification Number: | 10.1007/978-3-031-49167-2_19 |
Open Archives Initiative ID (OAI ID): | oai:eprints.whiterose.ac.uk:203542 |
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