Nambula, Katharina
Current Project:
Female Identity between Passivity and Agency, Contemporary Fiction by Ugandan Women Writers
The dissertation analyses selected Ugandan women novels with the aim of ascertaining the development and modification of female identities. The writers use their literature to advocate for an acknowledged status for women in their country by stressing the difficulties which women have to cope with. The narratives represent common problems for women, for example male physical and psychological dominance as well as gaps in the current family and clan security nets, which are worsened by greater problems, such as wars, diseases (HIV/Aids) or poverty. The authoresses place the female characters in detailed depictions of the social system of Uganda. Digesting daily life in literature, the writers create female characters in the novels which are confronted with diverse aggravated circumstances and show completely different ways of dealing with these problems. While some remain passive and incapable of dealing with life, others react with agency and manage to generate a change for the better. In this way, the writers wish to create the readers’ awareness and to give the voiceless a voice.