RECLAIMING ERASED HISTORIES: CULTURAL RESISTANCE AND MEMORY IN CHIMAMANDA NGOZI ADICHIE’S “THE HEADSTRONG HISTORIAN”

Abosede Florence Faniyi; GENIVALDO RODRIGUES SOBRINHO

Todos os Trabalhos

Trabalho

Título do Trabalho

RECLAIMING ERASED HISTORIES: CULTURAL RESISTANCE AND MEMORY IN CHIMAMANDA NGOZI ADICHIE’S “THE HEADSTRONG HISTORIAN”

Autores

Abosede Florence Faniyi
GENIVALDO RODRIGUES SOBRINHO

Modalidade

Apresentação dos GTs e dos Coordenadores

Área temática

GT-17 (presencial): Ancestralidade e resistência: os saberes das mulheres negras e indígenas no Brasil

Data de Publicação

09/02/2026

País da Publicação

Brasil

Idioma da Publicação

pt-BR

Página do Trabalho

https://www.even3.com.br/anais/sinpolic-624867/1427850-reclaiming-erased-histories--cultural-resistance-and-memory-in-chimamanda-ngozi-adichies-the-headstrong-histor

ISBN

978-65-272-2189-0

Palavras-Chave

Colonialism; cultural erasure; resistance; postcolonialism, cultural reclamation; memory.

Resumo

Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie is a Nigerian writer, feminist and a public intellectual born on September 15, 1977, in Enugu, Nigeria. She studied at the University of Nigeria, then moved to the US, where she attended Eastern connecticut State University, John Hopkins University Creative Writing and Yale University African Studies. This study examines “The headstrong historian”, from the collection of short stories The thing around your neck, with the objective of exploring how colonial power restructures cultural identity and historical memory within an Igbo community. Overall, “The Headstrong Historian” shows that while colonialism may distort identity and silence cultural memory, future generations can revive what was lost. Through storytelling and education, Adichie argues that history can be reclaimed,and that doing so is essential for cultural survival. This study is conducted as a qualitative literary analysis, the research employs a close reading of the narrative alongside postcolonial theoretical frameworks, drawing chiefly on the works of Homi Bhabha (1994), Hall Stuart (1990), Paul Ricoeur (2004) and Maurice Halbwachs (1992). These theories illuminate the processes of cultural erasure, linguistic domination, and the struggle for self-representation under colonial rule. The analysis focuses on three generational trajectories – Nwamgba’s resistance to colonial intrusion, Michael’s assimilation through missionary education, and Grace’s reclamation of suppressed histories. By tracing these generational shifts, the study argues that the text ultimately proposes historical recovery and cultural remembrance as acts of resistance. Despite all odds, Grace gave hope to Nwamgba’s resistance to the colonial domination through her writing. The anticipated result is a deeper understanding of how Post-colonial Nigerian literature can challenge colonial narratives, restore marginalized voices, and assert the validity of indigenous epistemologies in reconstructing the past.

Título do Evento: I SINPOLIC - Simpósio Nacional de Poesia dos Países de Língua Portuguesa
Cidade do Evento: Cuiabá
Título dos Anais do Evento: Anais do SINPOLIC - Simpósio Nacional de Poesia dos Países de Língua Portuguesa
Nome da Editora: Even3
Meio de Divulgação: Meio Digital

Como citar

FANIYI, Abosede Florence; SOBRINHO, GENIVALDO RODRIGUES. RECLAIMING ERASED HISTORIES: CULTURAL RESISTANCE AND MEMORY IN CHIMAMANDA NGOZI ADICHIE’S “THE HEADSTRONG HISTORIAN”.. In: Anais do SINPOLIC - Simpósio Nacional de Poesia dos Países de Língua Portuguesa. Anais...Cuiabá(MT) UFMT, 2025. Disponível em: https//www.even3.com.br/anais/sinpolic-624867/1427850-RECLAIMING-ERASED-HISTORIES--CULTURAL-RESISTANCE-AND-MEMORY-IN-CHIMAMANDA-NGOZI-ADICHIES-THE-HEADSTRONG-HISTOR. Acesso em: 21/06/2026