Literary Sisterhood and Afropolitan Identities in Contemporary African Women’s Fiction

African Journal of Gender and Women Studies | Vol. 11, No. 9, September 2026 | pp. 209–222

DOI: 10.46882/2026/AJGWS/001310

Article Type: Research Article

Title: Literary Sisterhood and Afropolitan Identities in Contemporary African Women’s Fiction

Names of Author: Chimamanda Nwachukwu¹ & Sophie Van Der Berg²

Author's Affiliation: ¹Department of English and Literary Studies, University of Calabar, Calabar, Nigeria; ²Department of Comparative Literature, Leiden University, Leiden, Netherlands.

Abstract:
Contemporary African women writers living across continental and diasporic spaces have reshaped global literary landscapes by exploring transnational migration, belonging, and evolving gender identities. While critical debates around Afropolitanism often accuse diasporic narratives of privileging elite cosmopolitan mobility over localized socio-economic struggles, recent novels by African women complicate this binary by centering intimate bonds of female friendship across class and geographic borders. This paper examines how contemporary African women’s fiction portrays literary sisterhood as a site of emotional survival and feminist critique. Drawing on transnational African feminist literary theory, the analysis conducts close readings of novels by Akwaeke Emezi, Yaa Gyasi, and Maaza Mengiste. Through comparative textual analysis, we argue that depictions of cross-generational and cross-border female solidarity challenge patriarchal nationalism and articulate grounded, empathetic visions of African womanhood.

Keywords: African women’s fiction, Afropolitanism, literary sisterhood, transnational feminism, female friendship, postcolonial literature, identity, diaspora

Manuscript Timeline: Received: July 20, 2026; Revised: August 22, 2026; Accepted: August 26, 2026; Published: September 15, 2026.

Citation: Nwachukwu, C., & Van Der Berg, S. (2026). Literary Sisterhood and Afropolitan Identities in Contemporary African Women’s Fiction. African Journal of Gender and Women Studies, 11(9), 209–222. DOI: 10.46882/2026/AJGWS/001310

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