STIGMATISATION, PROTEANISM AND THE ADOLESCENT FEMALE IN TSITSI DANGAREMBGA’S NERVOUS CONDITIONS AND JAMAICA KINCAID’S ANNIE JOHN

Abstract

Stigmatisation and proteanism are concepts that seem to be like polar opposites but they share a fascinating, often defensive relationship and overlap as adolescent girls negotiate a space for themselves in the postcolonial society. Adolescent girls are archetypically raised to consider others, to consider contexts and to be self-sacrificing.  For this reason, their egos may have different developmental needs and this leads to imprints of stigmatisation. Therefore, they experience seismic and protean shifts, as they mutate easily to transcend boundaries that are thrust upon them by the society. Being stigmatized, their "fixed" identity becomes a source of pain or exclusion. Proteanism often emerges as a counter-strategy when senior women break free from the shackles of male dominance, they want to be in a position of power.  So, the power dynamics is shifted to focus on the adolescent female who becomes marginalised and stigmatised by the senior female. The paper addresses the gap between the female generations and shows how proteanism is used as a reclamation of power. By refusing to be stigmatised, the adolescent female in Tsitsi Dangarembga’s Nervous Conditions and Jamaica Kincaid’s Annie John possess the ability of character shape shifting which serves as a catalyst to stigmatisation.