Tradition versus Modernity: A study on Emecheta’s The Bride Price

Abstract

Buchi Emecheta’s (1976) in ‘The Bride Price’ shows the confrontation of tradition and modernity in African society, where the traditional tribes are looking for their own power and custom; but a young heroine- Aku-nna- decides to go beyond all those totalities and make a free play of the structure. She tends to create a new discourse that rejects the fundamental immobility of African traditional society. This conflict can be discussed within the differences between structuralism and post-structuralism. Structuralism looks for one fixed center and meaning, while post-structuralism talks for decentralizing the center of any kinds of totality. Buchi Emecheta in her novel depicts the clash between the traditional customs of a small Ibo village in Nigeria and the growing influence of Africa's European colonizers, as seen through the eyes of a young girl. European colonization has had two sides for Africa. While it has controlled political autonomy on the continent, it has also brought modernization, which in itself has shown to be as equally problematic, particularly when the issues of traditional African values come into play. Yet the complexity of these issues is not fully addressed until the subject of female subordination within traditional African society taken into consideration. The present study depicts the challenges between tradition and modernity in African traditional society, where people are defined through their customs and traditions. Key words: African society, tradition, modernity, structuralism, post-structuralism, colonization, identity.