Everyday Life Practices And Cultural Identity Construction In Adichie’s Americanah

Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie(1977-),as the leading figure of the “third-generation”of Nigerian writers,has been called “Nigerian Tolstoj” for her authentic writing style.In Adichie’s work,she is adept at focusing on the history and development of Nigeria,demonstrating her commitment to Nigerian culture and paying deep attention to the impact of different cultures on individual’s cultural identity in a transnational cultural context.Among Adiche’s many excellent works,her latest novel Americanah is highly respected and popular with a wide range of its readers.The novel follows the journey of the protagonist Ifemelu,from an Igbo girl to a mature woman with a sense of independence.Most of the current studies on Americanah have focused on the themes of transnationalism and cultural identity,exploring the possibility of the protagonist’s construction of a bicultural identity in the multiple cultural contexts.However,there’s still much space and values for the study in delving into the ways of Ifemelu’s cultural identity construction.Since the twentieth century,daily life has gradually transformed from being defined as ordinary to being the most fundamental and important component in the construction of human social practice,which reflect the efforts an individual makes to construct cultural identity.The thesis will build up a theoretical framework based on the theories of Michel de Certeau’s everyday life practices,Kwame Anthony Appiah’s cosmopolitanism and other’s theories related to cultural identity to delve into the protagonist Ifemelu’s cultural identity construction in three aspects: the construction of ethnic identity through the practice of communication,the construction of diaspora identity through the practice of cooking,the construction of cosmopolitan identity through the practice of writing.In Americanah,Adichie traces the process of Ifemelu constructing the cultural identity through grappling with her daily life practices.Her portrayal of Ifemelu as a refreshing image of woman has represented the possibility of Nigerian diaspora moving into the world stages and revealed the self-awareness of African woman in the 21 th century.