Triple Oppression and Transnational Identity: the Immigrant Black Woman in Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s Americanah

Abstract

[eng] Americanah (2013) is a semi-autobiographical novel written by the internationally renowned author Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie in which Ifemelu, a young Nigerian woman who emigrates to the USA with the hope of better education prospects, suffers different forms of racial, class and gender oppression. Americanah aims at deconstructing the social categories associated with black women by questioning the triple oppression experienced by Ifemelu throughout the story. These simultaneous forms of oppression – together with the discrimination she suffers due to her immigrant status – have a dramatic impact on the development of the protagonist’s identity, who feels increasingly alienated as she becomes aware of the threats emanating from the world which surrounds her. As a matter of fact, Ifemelu’s sense of unbelonging eventually leads her to consider returning to her homeland. The purpose of this paper is to analyse the evolution of Ifemelu’s transnational identity by paying attention to the multiple forms of oppression she endures. Ultimately, my aim is to show how the novel reveals the current situation of most immigrant black women in the First World by denouncing discriminatory practices against this stigmatised social minority.