A Decolonial Feminist Reading of Nervous Conditions

This paper explores Tsitsi Dangarembga’s novel Nervous Conditions through the lenses of postcolonialism and decolonial feminism, focusing on the intersection of colonialism, missionarization, and gender oppression. It examines how African women face dual subjugation under colonial rule and indigenous patriarchy, a concept often termed “double colonization”. Drawing on Frantz Fanon, Sylvia Tamale, and Homi Bhabha, the analysis situates the novel in debates on hybrid identities, liminality, and resistance. Through characters like Tambu and Nyasha, Dangarembga critiques colonial and traditional systems while imagining alternative modernities rooted in education and agency, particularly for Zimbabwean women navigating oppressive structures.

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