A feminist analysis of ‘Dhako en …’ (A woman is …) proverbs among the Luo community of Kenya
Postcolonial feminism conceptualises the female body as volatile to theorise the inherent vibrant activities of (re)identification of the self from the social masculine inscriptions. In addition to that, the female body is also understood as a subject of conquest in a political struggle to emancipat...
| Main Author: | |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | Afrikaans |
| Published: |
Tydskrif vir Letterkunde Association
2023-12-01
|
| Series: | Tydskrif vir Letterkunde |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://letterkunde.africa/article/view/14482 |
| _version_ | 1797391729067819008 |
|---|---|
| author | Daniel Otieno |
| author_facet | Daniel Otieno |
| author_sort | Daniel Otieno |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Postcolonial feminism conceptualises the female body as volatile to theorise the inherent vibrant activities of (re)identification of the self from the social masculine inscriptions. In addition to that, the female body is also understood as a subject of conquest in a political struggle to emancipate the self from the instigators of its suppression. Given this, the female body is highly political and attempts to emancipate itself from oppressive patriarchal hegemony. In spite of these efforts by feminist scholars to proclaim the inevitable transfiguration of the female body, and to elucidate a transformation towards autonomy of self, discourse in emerging oral tradition and emerging genres of oral literature in contemporary African societies derail the quest for recreation of an ‘envisioned woman’. In this study I analyse ‘Dhako en’ (a woman is) proverbs among the Luo community of Kenya, and investigate their dominant role in the objectification of the female body in contemporary society. These proverbs were collected from Facebook, and then analysed through a deconstructionist approach and postcolonial feminist theory of sexualised objectification. At the superficial level, ‘Dhako en’ proverbs are supposed to entertain by creating comic relief. I argue that the signified is a woman relegated to a mere object of misappropriation, and that the signifiers embody sexual connotations in the pretext of artful use of words verbally. I conclude that these proverbs become existential threats to the ‘transfiguration’ process of the female body and continue to ‘other’ the image of the woman, complicating the overall feminist struggle.
|
| first_indexed | 2024-03-08T23:36:53Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-8767378e6b59489cb75d9ced0416fe3d |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 0041-476X 2309-9070 |
| language | Afrikaans |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-08T23:36:53Z |
| publishDate | 2023-12-01 |
| publisher | Tydskrif vir Letterkunde Association |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Tydskrif vir Letterkunde |
| spelling | doaj.art-8767378e6b59489cb75d9ced0416fe3d2023-12-14T06:43:28ZafrTydskrif vir Letterkunde AssociationTydskrif vir Letterkunde0041-476X2309-90702023-12-0160310.17159/tl.v60i3.14482A feminist analysis of ‘Dhako en …’ (A woman is …) proverbs among the Luo community of KenyaDaniel Otieno0University of Bayreuth, Bayreuth, GermanyPostcolonial feminism conceptualises the female body as volatile to theorise the inherent vibrant activities of (re)identification of the self from the social masculine inscriptions. In addition to that, the female body is also understood as a subject of conquest in a political struggle to emancipate the self from the instigators of its suppression. Given this, the female body is highly political and attempts to emancipate itself from oppressive patriarchal hegemony. In spite of these efforts by feminist scholars to proclaim the inevitable transfiguration of the female body, and to elucidate a transformation towards autonomy of self, discourse in emerging oral tradition and emerging genres of oral literature in contemporary African societies derail the quest for recreation of an ‘envisioned woman’. In this study I analyse ‘Dhako en’ (a woman is) proverbs among the Luo community of Kenya, and investigate their dominant role in the objectification of the female body in contemporary society. These proverbs were collected from Facebook, and then analysed through a deconstructionist approach and postcolonial feminist theory of sexualised objectification. At the superficial level, ‘Dhako en’ proverbs are supposed to entertain by creating comic relief. I argue that the signified is a woman relegated to a mere object of misappropriation, and that the signifiers embody sexual connotations in the pretext of artful use of words verbally. I conclude that these proverbs become existential threats to the ‘transfiguration’ process of the female body and continue to ‘other’ the image of the woman, complicating the overall feminist struggle. https://letterkunde.africa/article/view/14482Dhako enobjectificationfemale bodysocial degradationsocial other |
| spellingShingle | Daniel Otieno A feminist analysis of ‘Dhako en …’ (A woman is …) proverbs among the Luo community of Kenya Tydskrif vir Letterkunde Dhako en objectification female body social degradation social other |
| title | A feminist analysis of ‘Dhako en …’ (A woman is …) proverbs among the Luo community of Kenya |
| title_full | A feminist analysis of ‘Dhako en …’ (A woman is …) proverbs among the Luo community of Kenya |
| title_fullStr | A feminist analysis of ‘Dhako en …’ (A woman is …) proverbs among the Luo community of Kenya |
| title_full_unstemmed | A feminist analysis of ‘Dhako en …’ (A woman is …) proverbs among the Luo community of Kenya |
| title_short | A feminist analysis of ‘Dhako en …’ (A woman is …) proverbs among the Luo community of Kenya |
| title_sort | feminist analysis of dhako en a woman is proverbs among the luo community of kenya |
| topic | Dhako en objectification female body social degradation social other |
| url | https://letterkunde.africa/article/view/14482 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT danielotieno afeministanalysisofdhakoenawomanisproverbsamongtheluocommunityofkenya AT danielotieno feministanalysisofdhakoenawomanisproverbsamongtheluocommunityofkenya |