"Double Consciousness" And The Vision Of Rooted Cosmopolitanism In Americanah

Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie(1977-)is a representative diasporic writer in Nigeria today.Based on her own diasporic experiences,Adichie has produced another masterpiece Americanah which won the 2013 National Book Critics Circle Award.On the one hand,this novel focuses on the experiences of the post-colonial African diaspora in Western mainstream culture and analyzes the power imbalances between the Western hegemony and the “other”.On the other hand,through the flashbacks and the protagonist’s return,this book reveals the conflicts within Nigeria in the late twentieth century and condemns the authority and the citizens.Up to now,studies have focused on the diasporas’ identity dilemma and the reconstruction of black female subjectivity through the lens of postcolonialism and feminist theories.Though critics depict the racial phenomenon,few have explained why Ifemelu as the “other”,can criticize white supremacy.Similarly,existing studies view the return as a way to reconstruct identity,but fail to illustrate how diasporic intellectuals with “double consciousness” reflect on their home country and participate in Nigerian society.Through a close reading of the text,combined with the theory of “double consciousness” and “rooted cosmopolitanism”,this paper analyzes the diaspora’s “double consciousness” and points out the critiques on the host society’s racism and the Nigerian national character is the consequence of this “double consciousness”.Apart from elaborating condemnation and reflection from African diaspora,Americanah suggests Adichie’s belief in the “rooted cosmopolitanism”.This dissertation consists of five chapters.Chapter One is the introduction,which gives a general knowledge of Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie,Americanah,and studies on this novel from home and abroad.The focus and structure of this thesis are mentioned as well.Chapters Two to Four are the main body of the thesis.Chapter Two discusses and criticizes the ubiquitous racial discrimination.African diasporas are not accepted as the “other” in the host society.Being marginalized and misunderstood,they had to obey Western values and endure stereotypes.The protagonist,Ifemelu condemned racism in America through her blog: she explores the differences in racial consciousness between African Americans and non-American black diaspora and criticizes white supremacy in America.Chapter Three analyzes internal conflicts in Nigeria,highlighting the writer Adichie’s reflections on the national character.Military coups brought about turmoil,and the corruption by the officials undermined the citizen’s trust in the government,the intellectuals fled from the country,leaving the submissive citizens in insecurity and disunity.Under globalization,Nigeria today is still limited by its worship of the West despite its ostensible prosperity.The Westernization of Nigeria lies in language,educational system and aesthetics,and so on.Meanwhile,citizens are stuck in the mentality of scarcity.For them,everything is transactional and they are obsequious to the rich.Chapter Four explores the intention behind Adichie’s description of the dual critique by the diasporas: she advocates the uniqueness of African culture for the diaspora by subverting the single story about Africa,and she encourages the Africans to counter outmoded values and accept hybrid identity and embrace diversity and modernity.These contribute to the substance of rooted cosmopolitanism.In a conclusion to the previous chapters,Chapter Five points out the practical significance of Americanah.This book reveals the feelings and thoughts of the “double conscious” diasporas and describes the rooted cosmopolitanism conducted by the protagonist as a feasible way out for the rootless diaspora.