Intersectionality is a theory that examines “the intersecting patterns” of systems of oppression (Crenshaw). It is a framework that accounts for the intersections of identities, such as race, gender, sexuality, class, ability, etc., which overlap and inform the experiences of people who are of multiple marginalized identities. It is an analytical tool that addresses the layers of identity that accumulate and form a wholeness, and recommends that this wholeness be approached with respect to all the social categorizations that are applied to different bodies.

"The enviroment"

"The enviroment"

full disclosure i've had a kind of hectic day, with an extended meeting that took up the classtime set aside for reading, and i walked for an hour total this evening just to go to therapy for the first time and i'm adjusting to that! i honestly didn't get to read too far into Americanah and I wanted to post as soon as I could!

My fourth class this semester is a French class on francophone literature. Americanah in some ways reminds me of the books I have read for that class, in particular Le Ventre de l'Atlantique by Fatou Diome, which is narrated by a Senegalese woman living in France but focuses largely on her childhood and on the people she grew up with. An important theme of that book is "la colonisation mentale," the preoccupation with French culture that remained after the French government relinquished control. The inhabitants of the main character's hometown associate going to France with financial success, and her brother dreams of playing soccer for a French team. This "mental colonization" is present in Americanah as well.

I am interested in talking about the religious scenes in Americanah. I am intrigued by Ifemelu's mother's spiritual experiences, but don't really know what to make of them. This is my second time reading Americanah, and while I definitely picked up on the ways that religion provided Adichi interesting ways of portraying the family dynamic. Such as using praying as a tool to speak to the father's progression of loosing faith in himself, or just general discrepancies between  the members of the family. But I'm interested in taking a more spiritual approach, and thinking more about the mother's relationship with God, and how and why her feelings towards God changes. 

i forgot how much i liked this book.
i read it this summer, picked it up because it was on the "suggested reads" shelf at my library and because i remember Kamara insisting that i had to read it. i didn't really know what to expect -- and to be completely honest, i don't really remember a specific feeling beyond the fact that i liked it and i found it interesting and i wanted to talk to other people about it.

            Ifemelu associates smells with places she’s visited. As Ifemeleu questions United States’ sayings, she reveals how bizarre they are. Ifemelu comments on the different connotations of words. Ifemelu learns about how controlling language can be and how certain words, ideas, or phrases that one hears or sees should not be repeated. Ifemelu is constantly being pulled between two places and times: Nigeria and the USA. Ifemelu finds strength and power in independence. Ifemelu describes a feeling of discomfort while riding in a taxi with a Nigerian driver. Ifemelu has to go to a black neighborhood to get her hair braided.