JOURNAL ARTICLE

Alice Walker and the "Other World": Racism in Possessing the Secret of Joy.

  • Published In: International Journal of Interdisciplinary Social & Community Studies, 2025, v. 20, n. 1. P. 37 1 of 3

  • Database: Sociology Source Ultimate 2 of 3

  • Authored By: Shureteh, Halla; Al-Abawi, Maryana 3 of 3

Abstract

While many present Alice Walker's novel Possessing the Secret of Joy (1992) entirely as a strong feminist/womanist discourse, this work sees that the African American writer's solidarity with African women and her passionate attempt to expose the atrocity of female genital mutilation practiced in some African countries are immersed in negative stereotyping of African women, their social roles and culture. The article finds a striking similarity between Joseph Conrad's Heart of Darkness and Walker's Possessing the Secret of Joy. A close examination of the language and ideas in the novel shows how Walker's woman discourse abounds with critical remarks that measure aspects of Africans' life with Anglophone standards. Surprisingly, the novel has not encountered much criticism for that, and the article argues that such an ethnocentric approach should, at least, be problematized. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Additional Information

  • Source:International Journal of Interdisciplinary Social & Community Studies. 2025/06, Vol. 20, Issue 1, p37
  • Document Type:Article
  • Subject Area:Literature and Writing
  • Publication Date:2025
  • ISSN:2324-7576
  • DOI:10.18848/2327-0055/CGP/v23i01/37-55
  • Accession Number:186126381
  • Copyright Statement:Copyright of International Journal of Interdisciplinary Social & Community Studies is the property of Common Ground Research Networks and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

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