The Swahili Novels of Tanzanian Women

Agency, Tradition, and Change

Izabela Romańczuk

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English

Routledge
11 September 2024

Literary studies: post-colonial literature; Literary studies: fiction, novelists & prose writers; Gender studies: women; Social & cultural anthropology; Regional geography

Series: Routledge Studies in African Literature

This book provides a rich and full analysis of female Swahili novelists from a feminist perspective, highlighting their important contributions to the living Swahili literary and intellectual tradition.

Compared to the diverse and centuries-old oral literature, or religious-philosophical poetry tradition developing since at least the 17th century, the novel is a relatively young phenomenon in the rich body of Swahili literary output, emerging only in the last hundred years. Since then, academia has focused primarily on male novelists, largely disregarding important female writers such as Ndyanao Balisidya, Zainab Burhani, Martha Mvungi Mlangala, Zainab Mwanga, Lucy Nyasulu, and Zainab Alwi Baharoon. This book traces the evolution of women’s writing in Tanzania, highlighting emancipatory and feminist discourses, as well as intersectional themes of class, education, and urbanisation. The author demonstrates how concepts such as utu 'the essence of humanity', aibu 'shame', 'disgrace' and heshima 'honor', 'social respectability' are used in the novels to articulate the value systems and social norms in Swahili communities, including the gendered perceptions of women that they create.

Grounded throughout in the historical and socio-political contexts of the authors it discusses, this book will be an important read for researchers of African literature and women’s studies.

By: Izabela Romańczuk
Imprint: Routledge
Country of Publication: United Kingdom
Dimensions: Height: 234mm, Width: 156mm,
ISBN: 9781032835471
ISBN 10: 1032835478
Series: Routledge Studies in African Literature
Pages: 160
Publication Date: 11 September 2024
Audience: College/higher education , Professional and scholarly , Primary , Undergraduate
Format: Hardback
Publisher's Status: Forthcoming

Izabela Romańczuk completed her PhD at the Department of African Languages and Cultures, Faculty of Oriental Studies, University of Warsaw, Poland. She works as an assistant professor in the Department of African Languages and Cultures at the University of Warsaw. In her research and teaching work she deals with various aspects of contemporary African literature, particularly Kiswahili literature, emphasizing gender dynamics and identity representation. At the University of Warsaw's Department of African Languages and Cultures, she also teaches about feminist theories in Africa.