Proceedings of The 8th International Conference on Social sciences Humanities and Education
Year: 2023
DOI:
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Black British Women’s Voices Matter
Masami Usui, Ph.D.
ABSTRACT:
Black British women have been actively involved in such fields as entertainment, literature, and journalism especially since 1948 until now, yet they have not as properly evaluated as African American women. In the UK, the post-war cultural studies which is opposed to canons and evaluates its subjects beyond class, race, and gender differences was not inadequate for black women’s activities even though Beryl Gilroy and Buchi Emecheta expressed their conflicts as black women. In the 21st century, moreover, the color hierarchy involved Mixed and Brown, the cultural distinctions among Afro-Caribbean and African immigrants and their household, the class difference, the urban/rural community and environmental gap influence sexism to black women and LGBTs. Black British women with diverse backgrounds have established a collective narrative of African diaspora. Bernardine Evaristo is the first black British woman to win the Booker Prize in 2019 despite her long career. To rediscover forgotten works, Evaristo launched a project of “Black Britain: Writing Back” series with Penguin. Her success represents the rising generation whose writings and voices reflect the contemporary issues of racism and sexism. Reni Eddo-Lodge and Afua Hirsch are among these new writers with their unique perspectives. Hermione Granger, the “Mudblood” in Harry Potter, was played by black actress Noma Dumezweni in the stage play Harry Potter and the Cursed Child (2016). However, black women should challenge their ongoing anxiety because being black, being British, and being women lead to intrinsic questions about race, nationality, and gender in society, country, and household.
keywords: African Diaspora, Culture, English Literature, Postcolonialism, World Literature