ISSN 2736-1578
African Journal of Gender and Women Studies | Vol. 11, No. 8, August 2026 | pp. 1–12
DOI: 10.46882/2026/AJGWS/001284
Article Type: Research Article
Title: Portraits of Subversive Females in Two African Texts: Real and Imagined Conquest
Names of Author: Dr. Patience Anim¹
Author's Affiliation: ¹Department of Communication Studies, Faculty of IT and Communication Studies (FITCS), University of Professional Studies, Accra, Ghana.
Abstract:
Most African literary texts and the critical responses to these texts have engaged extensively with the varied means by which women and men have been both complicit in and active perpetrators of gendered oppression, subjugation, and violence. Although the lives of female characters are often portrayed as affected by such challenges, postcolonial African literary texts consistently feature strong female characters who advocate for emancipation and empowerment. At the same time, they make choices that allow them to flourish individually and socially, leading rich, meaningful lives that showcase their conquest over subjugation and patriarchy as “real” and tangible achievements. In contrast, the notion of “imagined” conquest signifies the limitations of, especially, male characters’ efforts, which often fall short in dismantling patriarchal structures. This paper contributes to existing scholarly discourses on the representation of female characters in African literary texts. The analysis draws on the theoretical concept of feminist empathy, taking into account the Nigerian and Zimbabwean postcolonial contexts of the novels to address how Yejide Kilanko’s Daughters Who Walk This Path (2012) and Tsitsi Dangarembga’s This Mournable Body (2018) reflect deeply on ways in which these primary texts recognize, acknowledge and accept the pain and suffering of the female Other marginalized through the practice of patriarchal hegemony. Through close reading, I identify the strategies employed by revolutionary female characters as they subvert patriarchy and assert a constructive image and role for women within the societies depicted in the novels.
Keywords: Feminist empathy, identity, patriarchy, postcolonial novel, gender, conquest, African feminism, Nigerian literature, Zimbabwean literature
Manuscript Timeline: Received: May 12, 2026; Revised: June 18, 2026; Accepted: June 19, 2026; Published: August 14, 2026.
Citation: Anim, P. (2026). Portraits of Subversive Females in Two African Texts: Real and Imagined Conquest. African Journal of Gender and Women Studies, 11(8), 1–12. DOI: 10.46882/2026/AJGWS/001284