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Subaltern Voices: A Postcolonial Feminist Reading of Beatrice in Purple Hibiscus
1
School of Foreign Languages, Xi Dian University, Xi’an, Shaanxi, P.R. China.
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JASES 2025 7(3):247; https://doi.org/10.69610/j.ases.20250522
Received: / Accepted: / Published Online: 22 May 2025
Abstract
“Can the Subaltern Speak?” is a central issue in Spivak's postcolonial feminist theory and a broader question awaiting exploration. In postcolonial Nigeria, the subaltern women suffered dual oppression from British colonial culture and indigenous patriarchal structures. This paper adopts Spivak's postcolonial feminist perspective to analyze Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie's Purple Hibiscus, focusing on the female character Beatrice. It delves into the oppression and resistance of subaltern women as depicted in the novel, highlighting the plight of Third World subaltern women and their inability to speak. The study argues that, in the face of this voicelessness, Adichie assumes the role of a spokesperson for the subaltern, actively engaging in dialogue with history. Through her work, she seeks to re-present the voices of subaltern women, showcasing her efforts to advocate for the Third World women.
Copyright: © 2025 by Chen. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY) (Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
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ACS Style
Chen, X. Subaltern Voices: A Postcolonial Feminist Reading of Beatrice in Purple Hibiscus. Journal of Arts, Society, and Education Studies, 2025, 7, 247. doi:10.69610/j.ases.20250522
AMA Style
Chen X. Subaltern Voices: A Postcolonial Feminist Reading of Beatrice in Purple Hibiscus. Journal of Arts, Society, and Education Studies; 2025, 7(3):247. doi:10.69610/j.ases.20250522
Chicago/Turabian Style
Chen, Xi 2025. "Subaltern Voices: A Postcolonial Feminist Reading of Beatrice in Purple Hibiscus" Journal of Arts, Society, and Education Studies 7, no.3:247. doi:10.69610/j.ases.20250522
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References
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