Culture, Resistance, and Memory: Afrocentric Revisions in Americanah and On Black Sisters Street

Ms. Sindhu R. ¹, Dr. P. Beena²

¹Research Scholar, Department of English, Shrimathi Devkunvar Nanalal Bhatt Vaishnav College for Women, Chrompet, Chennai.

² Research Supervisor, Associate Professor of English, Shrimathi Devkunvar Nanalal Bhatt Vaishnav College for Women, Chrompet, Chennai.

Abstract

The research article highlights the theoretical framework of Afrocentricity in Americanah and On Black Sisters Street. It revises the Afrocentric culture, resistance, and memory of Ifemelu and Sisi by reclaiming their migration in the Western structure. The study further explores the components of diaspora and migration by addressing the systematic exploitation faced by the protagonists in the novels. It interrogates Eurocentric structures by validating African cultural consciousness and resistance to recentering their identity. Embracing their African selfhood becomes the greatest challenge for Ifemelu and Sisi; their rejection of Eurocentric beauty standards paves way for the reclamation of African identity and cultural renewal. Both novels, in this note, contribute highly to the understanding of embedded racism and identity politics. The narratives shift between the cross-cultural ideologies to decode the significance of Afrocentricity and resistance. The study concludes by rejecting Eurocentric beauty standards and validating the strength of African women in reclaiming their lives through African Selfhood. 

Keywords: Afrocentricity, Culture, Memory, Identity, Diaspora, Migration, Resistance.