Examining Alterity Dynamics Through the Conceptualisation and (Re)Construction of Social and Political Enemy in Post-Independent Francophone African Literature (Published)
The exploration of alterity in francophone African literature offers a rich and multifaceted understanding of identity dynamics and cultural hybridity. By examining the impact of post-independence socio-political landscape, this study provides critical insights into the complexities of otherness. Through the lenses of conflict and postcolonial theories, functionalism, symbolic interactionism, and comparative analysis, the thematic perspective provides a deeper understanding of how the concept of the enemy is constructed, negotiated, and redefined within the alterity framework in francophone African narratives. Using a corpus of five novels, this study not only enriches our understanding of francophone African literature but also contributes to broader discussions on identity, power, and socio-political representation in post-independent Africa. It concludes that the enemy’s identity is fluid, continuously shaped by social interactions and cultural practices, which construct and redefine individual and collective identities in response to evolving social and political contexts.
Keywords: Postcolonial Theory, alterity, conflict theory, francophone African literature, functionalism, symbolic interactionism.
“… FOR THE MAN IS THE HEAD OF THE WIFE”: A THEOLOGICAL STUDY OF EPH. 5, 23 IN RELATION TO THE AFRICAN MAN’S DOMINEERING ATTITUDE (Published)
The practical significance of the text of Eph 5,23 is very enormous when viewed under the prism of the problem of equality and subordination in Christian families especially in Africa. Perhaps the greatest single secular problem of the family today is the rise to power of women who traditionally were relegated. With the incipient feminism and women’s growth in social status the traditional African man now finds it difficult to move with the signs of the time. The result is crisis in family life. This paper is poised to expose Paul’s integration of ethics and theology in the singular coinage of kefalh,, with a view to delineating the subtle difference between the ordinary understanding of Eph 5,23 as signifying subordination of women to men. The paper argues that Paul by describing men as the head does not imply superiority in status but in function. Paul has always defended the equality of all in Christ as evident in Gal 3,28; Col 3,11.19; 4,1 and 1Cor 11,2-16, and cannot just contradict himself so cheaply. His choice of word was only but precisely an adaptation to his own age sequent to social condition of his time and culture.
Keywords: Paul, Superiority, cohesion, equality, family, functionalism, kefalh