Du Discours Ironique Comme Vecteur Du Féminisme Modéré Chez Ken Bugul Et Ama Ata Aidoo

Abstract

This thesis which is both comparative, stylistic and thematic examines irony as a tool of moderate feminism in selected works of two African women writers, a Francophone and an Anglophone. These are Riwan ou le chemin de sable and De l'autre côté du regard of the Senegalese-Beninese novelist Ken Bugul, and Anowa and Changes: a love story of the Ghanaian writer Ama Ata Aidoo. The investigation is based on the premise that both writers use irony as a discursive technique in their contributions to issues of women's oppression. The use of this style requires the reader to use his or her critical thinking skills in order to interpret accurately the vision that these authors project on feminist doctrines in Africa. The study then sets itself the task of exploring and explaining the ironic representation of feminist discourse in the selected texts of the authors. It then analyses and interprets irony as an expression of moderate feminism through the selected texts. The data, mainly collected from the four books, were subjected to a hermeneutic study in the light of Firestone (1972)’s theory of radical feminism and a combination of the various tendencies of African feminism. The study concludes that the feminism projected by Bugul and Aidoo is a fusion of Western feminist theories based on the demand for women's rights and freedom through revolt and the spirit of velvetiness and solidarity characteristic of Afrocentric feminism.