The Image of Women in Chinua Adchebe’s Novels Things Fall Apart, No Longer At Ease and Arrow of God (Published)
This paper explores and discusses the image of women in Chinua Achebe’s novels: Things Fall Apart, No Longer at Ease and Arrow of God. In Things Fall Apart (TFA), there is a great marginalization of women in Nigerian society. Although there are many tasks undertaken by women such as educating the children by narrating folk stories to them, upbringing their daughters, and serving as priestesses of gods (e.g. Chillo). The reader of such novels can effortlessly internalize the image of women in Chinua Achebe because it is very obvious. This Image has been improved through the development of the society in TFA. The citizens are ignorant, but are educated in the second novel No Longer at Ease. When a girl was asked to fulfill an application form and reaching to sex activities item, she wrote twice a week. It is the same case in Arrow of God, when Ezulu wants to send his son to the church in order to enable him to learn the lifestyle of the white This was evident when his mother asked him “Why do you send my son ?” and his a answer is that ” How does it concern you while I do with my son”. Regardless of his changeable Image from time to time, we have to acknowledge that Chinua Achebe, belittles, scorns, and underestimates women in his early and modern novels.
Keywords: Achebe, Nigerian, Scorn, Women, belittle, image
Participation of Women in the Traditional Music Scene: Perspectives from Avatime Totoeme Musical Performance in Ghana (Published)
The article provides an empirical example and a study rooted in the concept of cultural construction of feminism in relation to traditional music making of Avatime people of Ghana. Data was collected through participant observation of Totoeme. The author addresses the participation of women in traditional music performance and its associated rituals based on gender asymmetric assumptions. It also highlights removal of certain barriers among women in totoeme musical performance as pertains to installation of a new queen mother. The paper concludes that women can be credited for sustaining most African dances including totoeme in this contemporary world. It is therefore important that they are supported possibly by traditional authorities in this regard to ensure cultural preservation.
Keywords: Avatime, Cultural Preservation, Installation, Totoeme, Women, libation
A REVIEW OF THE STUDIES CONDUCTED ON FERDOWSI’S SHAHNAMEH WITH A FOCUS ON FEMINIST CRITICISM (Published)
Because of its historical significance and also due to the fact that it represents a part of the ancient Iranian national identity,it is important to study Ferdowsi’s Shahnameh. When Shahnameh is the subject of discussion, Iranian culture and history come to attention and since Shahnameh narrates ancient Iran events in an Islamic era, given the cultural indications in the book, it is expected to provide the reader with an image of Iranian woman in ancient times. By reviewing some of the studies which have investigated women in Shahnameh, the present paper seeks to find out whether this expectation has been fulfilled or not. It gives a brief summary of these studies and appraises them according to the theories of feminist criticism and shows the differences and similarities between these studies and theories. It was found out that most of the studies have made common conclusions and considered women’s image generally and biasedly. These studies pay little attention to the theories of feminist criticism.
Keywords: Feminism, Ferdowsi’s Shahnameh, Literary Studies., Women
A Review of the Studies Conducted on Ferdowsi’s Shahnameh with a Focus on Feminist Criticism (Review Completed - Accepted)
Because of its historical significance and also due to the fact that it represents a part of the ancient Iranian national identity,it is important to study Ferdowsi’s Shahnameh. When Shahnameh is the subject of discussion, Iranian culture and history come to attention and since Shahnameh narrates ancient Iran events in an Islamic era, given the cultural indications in the book, it is expected to provide the reader with an image of Iranian woman in ancient times. By reviewing some of the studies which have investigated women in Shahnameh, the present paper seeks to find out whether this expectation has been fulfilled or not. It gives a brief summary of these studies and appraises them according to the theories of feminist criticism and shows the differences and similarities between these studies and theories. It was found out that most of the studies have made common conclusions and considered women’s image generally and biasedly. These studies pay little attention to the theories of feminist criticism
Keywords: Feminism, Ferdowsi’s Shahnameh, Literary Studies., Women
A Glimpse to the Female – Oriented Criticism in Persian Literary Researches (Published)
Feminist critical view points and their related concepts have entered into the fields of different brunches of knowledge in recent decades. During this time, literary studies have been too fruitful in feminist theories. Since these subjects are studied in universities too, it seems to be necessary to review critically the works produced based on applying the feminist theories. To have any kind of critical approach towards the application of these theories in literary researches, first of all, we need a precise standpoint. In this article, we have a look at those literary researches done between 1932 to 2012 in which woman in any way is pivotal. We also study the kind and frequency of the concepts related to woman, repetitions and the areas not considered or neglected in the literary researches of the period. Moreover we have made use of diagrams and tables to provide a clearer picture of our analysis. Investigations of researches done reveal a clear pattern of growth for them. Female researchers have been more eager than their male counterparts to study the position of woman in Iranian literature. Statistics also reveals that in the field of Persian Classical literature most of the works done are related to Shahname. It also seems to be room for academic female- oriented researches on the Persian classical poets as Rabia Balkhi and Mahasti Ganjavi. Among the prose texts, HEZAR- O- YEK- SHAB sands at the peak for the number of researches have been done. In addition, female- oriented researches have received its most attention in novels and short stories. Simin Daneshvar, as the first Iranian female writer has done the largest number of researches of the field in question. In contemporary poem, it does not seem to be any especial scarcity of research since most of the poems of Iranian contemporary famous female poets are reviewed critically, with the poems of Parvin Etesami as the bridge between classical and contemporary poem stands at the peak
Keywords: Feminism, Literary Criticism, Literary Researches, Women
Women Perception of Rural Development Programmes of UNDP in Akoko North Lga, Ondo State, Nigeria (Published)
The study examined rural development programmes of UNDP among women in Akoko North East LGA, Ondo State. Focused Group Discussion (FGD) and Interview schedule were employed to gather data from respondents. Random sampling was used to select eighty respondents. The data received were analyzed by descriptive and inferential statistics. The results showed that majority (62.5%) of the respondents were aware of rural development programme of UNDP. The study further showed that poor rural infrastructures (45%), rural electrification, inconsistency in redeeming pledges by donor agency and elite/political interference were factors hindering the programme from achieving its objective of alleviating poverty in the rural communities. Chi-square analysis shows that there was divergent perception of benefit among the beneficiaries. The study therefore recommended among others strict adherence to promise, and avoidance of involvement of rural elite in rural development programme since they are capable of diverting deliverables thereby entrenching poverty among the vulnerable ones.
Keywords: Poverty Reduction, Rural Communities, Schemes, UNDP, Women