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International Journal of Innovations & Research Analysis (IJIRA) [ Vol. 6 | No. 3(II) | July - September, 2026 ]

An Intersection of Multiple Discriminations: A Study of Select Short Stories by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

Bhawna & Dr. Deepa SP Mathur

This research paper examines the concept of intersectionality within the framework of Black feminism, focusing on the interconnected nature of race, gender, class, and other systems of social inequality. It will be a critical analysis of the two short stories namely “Imitation” and “The Arrangers of Marriage”, within the framework of Intersectionality. The stories are taken from the collection The Things Around Your Neck by contemporary African-American woman writer Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie. The idea of intersectionality was first talked about by Kimberlé Crenshaw, a legal scholar. Intersectionality provides a critical framework for understanding how different forms of discrimination operate simultaneously and shape the experiences of marginalized individuals. Black feminist scholars like Kimberlé Crenshaw, bell hooks, Patricia Hill Collins and Audre Lorde have done a lot to help us understand this idea. They have challenged the mainstream feminist and anti-racist movements because they often forget about the experiences of Black women. This study looks at what these scholars have said about power, identity, oppression, resistance and social justice. It says that we cannot really understand what Black women go through by looking at racism and sexism separately. The paper explores the intellectual contributions of scholars such as Kimberlé Crenshaw, bell hooks, Patricia Hill Collins, and Audre Lorde, examining their approaches to power, identity, oppression, resistance, and social justice. By looking at things theoretically the research shows that intersectionality helps us understand that women have many different experiences. Intersectionality expands feminist understanding because it helps us see that women’s experiences cannot be understood in a simple way. We need to look at the different factors that affect their lives. Chimamanda Adichie demonstrates this idea of multiple Discrimination through her stories. The idea of intersectionality of feminism is crucial for creating a more inclusive understanding of oppression and for developing meaningful strategies, for social transformation and intersectionality of Black feminism.

Bhawna, B. & Mathur, D. (2026). An Intersection of Multiple Discriminations: A Study of Select Short Stories by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie. International Journal of Innovations & Research Analysis, 06(03(II)), 38–44. https://doi.org/10.62823/IJIRA/06.3(II).9497
  1. Adichie, Chimamanda Ngozi. “Imitation”. The Thing Around Your Neck, Fourth Estate,2009.
  2. Adichie, Chimamanda Ngozi. “The Arrangers of Marriage”. The Thing Around Your Neck, Fourth Estate,2009.
  3. Cooper, Anna Julia. “A Voice from the South”, Negro Universities Press, 1969 (Re-print). Aldine Printing House, Ohio, 1892.
  4. Crenshaw, Kimberle () "Demarginalizing the Intersection of Race and Sex: A Black Feminist Critique of Antidiscrimination Doctrine, Feminist Theory and Antiracist Politics," University of Chicago Legal Forum: Vol. 1989: Iss. 1, Article 8. Available at https://chicagounbound.uchicago.edu/uclf/vol1989/iss1/8
  5. Marshall, Emily Zobel. “Writers reflect on the diverse legacies of bell hooks”. Writers Mosaic From the Royal Literary Fund,7 Sep,2022. https://writersmosaic.org.uk/close-up/bell-hooks/
  6. Guy-Sheftall, Beverly, and Maria K. Mootry Ikerionwu. “Black Women and Feminism: Two Reviews.” Ain’t I A Woman, Black Women and Feminismby Bell Hooks. Phylon (1960-), vol. 44, no. 1, 1983, pp. 84–86. JSTOR, https://doi.org/10.2307/274371. Accessed 2 Sept. 2026.
  7. Collins, Patricia Hill. “The Social Construction of Black Feminist Thought.” Signs, vol. 14, no. 4, 1989, pp. 745–73. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/3174683. Accessed 4 Aug. 2026.
  8. “Quotations from Audre Lorde.” Off Our Backs, vol. 22, no. 11, 1992, pp. 3–23. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/25775820. Accessed 5 Sept. 2026.

DOI:

Article DOI: 10.62823/IJIRA/06.3(II).9497

DOI URL: https://doi.org/10.62823/IJIRA/06.3(II).9497


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