Agency and (re) presentation in the digital age within the context of Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s Americanah

This paper argues that contemporary African feminists in the 21st century utilise digital platforms like blogs to explore identity and unequal power relations both at home and in the diaspora. Through a close reading and an in-depth analysis of Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s Americanah (2013), this paper examines how Ifemelu, the female protagonist navigates precarious conditions as a Black-skinned African in the diaspora. Ifemelu is a female blogger who captures the experiences of Black-skinned immigrants in the United States of America in her blog posts. Thus, the blog evolves into a powerful tool that exposes how body size, skin colour, accent and name contribute to systemic forms of vulnerability and oppression. Drawing on Judith Butler’s theory of precarity, this paper argues that the digital space becomes a site for agency where the oppressed challenge the American-Eurocentric laws that exacerbate their conditions of precarity. Therefore, this paper analyses how digital platforms like blogs enables Black-skinned immigrants to re-construct their identities and assert their agencies, thereby, fostering social cohesion and solidarity. In conclusion, this paper argues that digital (re)presentations play crucial roles in redefining the conditions of precarity and vulnerability imposed on the Black-skinned immigrants.

Key terms: blogosphere; diaspora; marginalisation; (re)presentation; precarity