A postcolonial feminist analysis of Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie's Half of a Yellow Sun and Nawal el Saadawi's the Fall of the Imam

This thesis focuses on a postcolonial feminist analysis of Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie's Half of a Yellow Sun (2006) and Nawal El Saadawi's The Fall of the Imam (2003). Examining how gender issues differ in history, politics, and culture, feminism has evolved into an episteme with several philosophical underpinnings and has given rise to feminist phenomena that have expanded across continents and display a variety of inclinations. One of these feminist movements is postcolonial feminism. In the 1980s, postcolonial feminism emerged as the third wave of feminism. This approach opposed the nationalist thought system and criticized the homogenized and marginalized Western women's approach of classical feminism. Especially in the works of women writers, in which they describe their experiences, the roles that society imposes on women and the expressions of patriarchal ideology are exemplified. Leading authors who discuss the marginalization of women who are subjugated by the sexist and nationalist ideologies given to women by society are the Egyptian Nawal El Saadawi and the Nigerian Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie. Both authors oppose the homogenizing perspective of classical feminism by deeply exploring the experiences of Third World women, whose realities are shaped by colonial histories and distinct social structures. They also challenge patriarchal discourse and systems, distancing themselves from the generalizing and culturally biased approach of Western feminism, and instead offer original insights into the experiences of marginalized women. The aim of this study is to analyze the depiction of the world of women, which is controlled by stereotypical discourses on the axis of racism and sexism in Saadawi's The Fall of the Imam and Adichie's Half of a Yellow Sun, from a Postcolonial feminist perspective.