Abstract
This paper explores traces of African rooted feminisms in Evelyne Accad’s <i>Wounding Words</i>. Accad’s work explores the definition and boundaries of Lebanese/Arabic feminism. Accad’s <i>Wounding Words</i> is critically examined to assess how the central female characters exhibit and portray African centered feminist ideologies. This study holds the assertion that the particular literary tradition portrayed in <i>Wounding Words</i> seems to be patterned after has the feminist struggle in Africa. The study reveals that Arabic feminism appears to mirror African feminism closely. In the strive to dominate the feminist discourse and channel it to focus on their socio-cultural realities, Accad, just like African feminists, has practically theorized concepts which are inherent in Nego-Feminism, Snail Sense Feminism and Womanism among others. All these feminist theories are anchored on negotiation and complementarity as the primary tools of engagement in the fight for gender equality and equity. Finally, the study reveals the universality of female modes of suppression. It also highlights the institutionalized nature of the feminist struggle as well as the adopted stratagems to dismantle oppression.
Highlights
The kind of feminism seen played out in Wounding Words suggests the efficacy of an integrated approach to women activism
This is what was seen play out among the women in the Club. The women assumed both combative and collaborative personalities to scholarly argue out the feminist position. The arguments they presented can be grouped under three thematic areas; ‘we can find in our culture, our traditions, the elements with which to reaffirm the status of women, rather that turning towards the western model which uses our weaknesses in this domain to destroy the whole society’; ‘what are we, who are we? We who express ourselves in French?’; ‘Feminism... is a universal trend, but always diverse in content
A cursory look seems to confirm that Accad warns against a blatant universalization of feminism
Summary
The kind of feminism seen played out in Wounding Words suggests the efficacy of an integrated approach to women activism. It springs out of the daily lived experiences and realities. It is interesting to note that Accad reconstructs the feminist discourse around compelling women characters who know how to negotiate for their own subjective preferences [16]. What they portray is not a mimicry of the mainstream White feminist thoughts or even that of black feminism which sometimes promotes lesbianism. Accad’s portraiture of women in Wounding Words depicts an innovative compelling picture of educated liberated women who are determined to rise and be heard in spite of daunting obstacles
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