SELF IDENTIFICATION AND REPRESENTATION IN NIGERIAN WOMEN’S AUTOBIOGRAPHY: A STUDY OF BUCHI EMECHETA’S HEAD ABOVE WATER

Abstract

Through an assessment of Buchi Emecheta’s Head Above Water, the paper seeks to show that
women autobiography in particular is concerned with self identification and construction. The
study also uses Postmodern feminist approach because it uncovers multiple realities, perspectives
and roles so that all voices may be heard. Using the text, the paper discusses the view that women
autobiographies deal with both private and public experiences as well as the writer’s progress in
her career. Through writing autobiography, the writer projects the sources from which her dreams
are realizable in real life. The study discovers how women autobiographies fit into the literary
canon because of their experiences, contributions and achievements just like the autobiographies of
the “great men”. The struggle to express and depict the processes of identity construction is evident
in Emecheta’s Head Above Water in specific circumstances and different socio- economic
conditions and backgrounds. Her autobiography incorporates various issues, illustrates her
awareness and emphasises on the female identity. This will encourage more women particularly in
Nigeria to also write their autobiographies and depict their experiences