Flora Nwapa’nın Kadınlar Farklıdır Romanında Kadın Konusu

Year 2017, Issue: 37, 188 - 194, 01.02.2017

Fatma Kalpaklı

Abstract

Öz Bu çalışmada, Flora Nwapa’nın Women are Different adlı romanından yola çıkılarak Nijerya toplumundaki toplumsal sosyal cinsel kimlik modelleri incelenecektir. Bu romanda, Flora Nwapa Nijeryalı kadınların hakları konusunda örneğin eğitim hakkı gibi nasıl bilinçlendiklerini anlatmaktadır. Ayrıca, Flora Nwapa henüz yeni bağımsızlığını kazanan/sömürgecilik sonrası Nijerya’da yaşamanın kadınlar açısından avantajlarını ve dezavantajlarını da bu romanında gündeme getirmektedir. Romanda, bir çelişki gibi de gözükse de bazı Nijeryalı kadın karakterlerin eski İngiliz yönetiminin olduğu günleri özledikleri gözlenmektedir, çünkü özgürlük onlara beraberinde bazı sorumluluklar da getirmiştir ve yeterli eğitimsel donanımları ve ekonomik özgürlükleri olmadığı için, bu sorumluluklar bazı kadınların omzunda bir yük olmaya başlamıştır. Tüm bu olumsuzluklara rağmen, çoğu kadın karakter sömürge dönemi Nijerya’sından sömürgecilik sonrası Nijerya’ya geçiş döneminde elinden geleni yapıp sorunların üstesinden gelmeye çalışmıştır. Bu konulara ek olarak, Women are Different adlı romanda Nijeryalı erkeklerin toplumsal sosyal cinsel kimlik konusunun yanı sıra, toplumsal sorunlara, ve sosyo-politik konulara olan tutumları da okuyucuya aktarılmaktadır. Romanda, Nijeryalı kadın ve erkeklerin toplumsal sosyal cinsel kimlik modelleri karşılaştırılarak, sadece Nijerya’da değil, aslında tüm dünyada kadın hakları konusunda bir bilinç oluşturmanın ne kadar önemli olduğunun altı çizilmektedir. Bu bağlamda, bu çalışmada Flora Nwapa’nın Women are Different adlı romanından örneklemelerle sömürgecilik dönemi sonrası Nijerya’sında kadınların rolleri ve sorumlulukları incelenecektir. Anahtar Sözcükler:Flora Nwapa, Women are Different, Nijeryalı kadınlar, toplumsal sosyal cinsel kimlik rolleri, sömürgecilik sonrası Nijerya. Abstract: The aim of this paper is to analyse the gender patterns in Nigerian society with reference to Flora Nwapa’s novel, namely Women are Different. In this novel, Flora Nwapa narrates how the Nigerian women begin to gain consciousness about their rights such as having access to education . Furthermore, the advantages and disadvantages of living in a newly independent Nigeria or in a postcolonial period for the Nigerian women are brought forward by Flora Nwapa. Related to this, in the novel, paradoxically it has been observed that some Nigerian women characters begin to long for the old British colonial days due to the fact that freedom also brings some responsibilities as well. Lacking the necessary educational background and economic independence, these women’s new responsibilities begin to be a burden on their shoulders. Yet, they try to cope with all the problems successfully during the time of the transition from the colonial to the postcolonial period. In addition to these, the Nigerian males’ attitude towards all these political, social and gender problems are conveyed to the readers in Women are Different. Meanwhile, the Nigerian female gender patterns are compared and contrasted with the Nigerian male gender patterns and eventually, the importance of raising consciousness about the women’s problems not only in Nigeria, but also in the whole world has been underlined in the novel. Accordingly, in this paper, the Nigerian women’s role in the postcolonial Nigerian society will be evaluated with regard to the examples given from Women are Different.Keywords: Flora Nwapa, Women are Different, Nigerian women, gender patterns, post/colonial Nigeria.

Keywords

Flora Nwapa, Women are Different, Nijeryalı kadınlar, toplumsal cinsel kimlik, sömürgecilik sonrası Nijerya.

The Women Issue In Flora Nwapa’s Women Are Different

Abstract

The aim of this paper is to analyse the gender patterns in Nigerian society with reference to Flora Nwapa’s novel, namely Women are Different. In this novel, Flora Nwapa narrates how the Nigerian women begin to gain consciousness about their rights such as having access to education. Furthermore, the advantages and disadvantages of living in a newly independent Nigeria for the Nigerian women are brought forward by Flora Nwapa. Related to this, in the novel, paradoxically it has been observed that some Nigerian women characters begin to long for the old British colonial days due to the fact that freedom brings some responsibilities as well. Lacking the necessary educational background and economic independence, these women’s new responsibilities begin to be a burden on their shoulders. Yet, they try to cope with all the problems successfully during the time of the transition from the colonial to the postcolonial period. In addition to these, the Nigerian males’ attitude towards all these political, social and gender problems are conveyed to the readers in Women are Different. Meanwhile, the Nigerian female gender patterns are compared and contrasted with the Nigerian male gender patterns and eventually, the importance of raising consciousness about the women’s problems not only in Nigeria, but also all around the world has been underlined in the novel. Accordingly, in this paper, the Nigerian women’s role in the postcolonial Nigerian society will be evaluated with regard to the examples given from Women are Different

Keywords

Flora Nwapa-Nwakuche, Women are Different, Nigerian women, gender patterns, post/colonial Nigeria

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