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"The speculative girl hero" through the lens of African futurism and African womanism
Thesis (MA)--Stellenbosch University, 2025.
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| Format: | Thesis |
| Language: | English |
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Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University
2025
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| _version_ | 1867614115843801088 |
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| access_status_str | Open Access |
| author | Raman, Kyra Ray |
| author2 | Sanger, Nadia |
| author_browse | Raman, Kyra Ray Sanger, Nadia |
| author_facet | Sanger, Nadia Raman, Kyra Ray |
| author_sort | Raman, Kyra Ray |
| collection | Thesis |
| dc_rights_str_mv | Stellenbosch University |
| description | Thesis (MA)--Stellenbosch University, 2025. |
| format | Thesis |
| id | oai:scholar.sun.ac.za:10019.1/132478 |
| institution | Stellenbosch University (South Africa) |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2026-06-10T12:46:55.034Z |
| license_str | Other — see source repository |
| provenance_str_mv | Harvested via OAI-PMH from SUNScholar — Stellenbosch University Repository |
| publishDate | 2025 |
| publishDateRange | 2025 |
| publishDateSort | 2025 |
| publisher | Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University |
| publisherStr | Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University |
| record_format | dspace |
| source_str | SUNScholar — Stellenbosch University Repository |
| spelling | oai:scholar.sun.ac.za:10019.1/132478 "The speculative girl hero" through the lens of African futurism and African womanism Raman, Kyra Ray Sanger, Nadia Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences. Dept. of English. Speculative fiction -- History and criticism Women heroes in literature Africanfuturism Womanism UCTD Thesis (MA)--Stellenbosch University, 2025. Raman, K. R. 2025. “The Speculative Girl Hero” Through the Lens of African Futurism and African Womanism. Unpublished masters thesis. Stellenbosch: Stellenbosch University [online]. Available: https://scholar.sun.ac.za/items/ecb33d56-61b6-42f8-b380-53f58ec8dd43 ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The emergence during the 90s-2000s of a popular literary type, the girl action hero, is especially significant in speculative fiction (Driscoll et al., 1). This figure differs from the fictional girl protagonists before her. ‘Girl heroes’ embody girl power. They are essentially an event, a process of ‘becoming.’ These female characters take the necessary steps toward developing their greatest potential and play a role in crafting their highest selves. They attempt to discover their quintessential selves through courage and tenacity. These girl heroes redefine what it means to be female. They promote the necessity for girls to gain control over their own lives by embracing their gifts. They engage in self-definition and use their empowerment to challenge oppressive social structures. This girl hero is widely read as a disarming spectacle of ideal girlhood. The increasing frequency of young adult literature inspired a next generation of heroines with which today’s readers can readily identify and who the authors believe become agents of social change for young girls. Texts that draw on contemporary scholarship regarding female adolescent development show an apparent shift to ‘stronger’ female protagonists within a larger cultural context. Recent literary research does well to showcase the adolescent girl who experiences passions, and sometimes a rebellious attitude. She actively acts upon these attitudes to take control of her life, unlike many of her white predecessors. Thus, the ‘black girl action hero,’ then, in her imagery challenges and subverts several types of these pop-culture relations (essentially through a complex black cultural lens), which is the focus of my research. My contribution is to further emphasise the concept of African futurism (along with African womanism and black feminism) as tools of analysis for understanding the nature of the black girl’s experiences within a speculative realm, focusing on Binti (Binti, 2015), Shuri (Wakanda Forever, 2022), and An-yan-wu (Wild Seed, 1980). African futurism and African womanism are theoretical frameworks that work in conjunction in order to address fundamental female black themes in speculative fiction (SF) experienced by black girls within the African diaspora. My research aims to reflect the fundamental shifts in representations of racial and gendered notions regarding black girlhood. The purpose of this analysis is to illustrate an SF figure that treats female-centred (black girls in particular) concerns in the context of 21st-century techno-culture. In this study, I also discuss why the ‘black speculative girl hero’ is so significant, how she challenges socially oppressive structures, and in which ways these specific girl heroes bring change to Westernised representations. AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Die opkoms van 'n populêre literêre tipe, die meisie-aksieheld, gedurende die 90's en 2000's, is veral betekenisvol in spekulatiewe fiksie (Driscoll et al., 1). Hierdie figuur verskil van die fiktiewe meisie-hoofkarakters wat voor haar was. 'Meisie-heroes' beliggaam meisiekrag. Hulle is in wese 'n gebeurtenis, 'n proses van ‘word’. Hierdie vroulike karakters neem die nodige stappe om hul grootste potensiaal te ontwikkel en speel 'n rol in die vorming van hul hoogste self. Hulle poog om hul essensiële self deur moed en deursettingsvermoë te ontdek. Hierdie meisie-heroes herdefinieer wat dit beteken om vroulik te wees. Hulle bevorder die noodsaaklikheid vir meisies om beheer oor hul eie lewens te verkry deur hul gawes te omhels. Hulle betrek hulleself in selfdefinisie en gebruik hul bemagtiging om onderdrukkende sosiale strukture uit te daag. Hierdie meisie-held is wyd beskou as 'n ontwapende spektakel van ideale meisieskap. Die toenemende frekwensie van jeugliteratuur het 'n nuwe generasie heldinne geïnspireer waarmee vandag se lesers maklik kan identifiseer en wat die outeurs glo as agente van sosiale verandering vir jong meisies dien. Tekste wat op kontemporêre navorsing rakende vroulike adolessenteontwikkeling bou, toon 'n duidelike skuif na ‘sterker’ vroulike protagoniste binne 'n groter kulturele konteks. Onlangse literêre navorsing het dit goed gedoen om die adolessente meisie wat passies ervaar, en soms ‘n rebelse houding, te vertoon. Sy tree aktief op op grond van hierdie houdings om beheer oor haar lewe te neem, anders as baie van haar wit voorgangers. Die ‘swart meisie-aksieheld’ daardeur, in haar beelding, daag en ondermyn verskeie tipes van hierdie popkultuurbetrekkinge (hoofsaaklik deur 'n komplekse swart kulturele lens), wat die fokus van my navorsing is. My bydrae is om die konsep van Afrikaanse futurisme (saam met Afrikaanse vrouenskap en swart feminisme) verder te beklemtoon as analitiese gereedskap om die aard van die swart meisie se ervarings binne 'n spekulatiewe domein te verstaan, met fokus op Binti (Binti, 2015), Shuri (Wakanda Forever, 2022), en An-yan-wu (Wild Seed, 1980). Afrikaanse futurisme en Afrikaanse vrouenskap is teoretiese raamwerke wat saamwerk om fundamentele swart vroulike temas in spekulatiewe fiksie (SF) te behandel, wat deur swart meisies in die Afrikaanse diaspora ervaar word. My navorsing poog om die fundamentele skuif in voorstellings van ras- en geslagsbetrekkinge rakende swart meisieskap te reflekteer. Die doel van hierdie analise is om 'n SF-figuur te illustreer wat vrougesentreerde (veral swart meisies) kwessies in die konteks van 21ste-eeuse tegnokultuur behandel. In hierdie studie bespreek ek ook hoekom die ‘swart spekulatiewe meisieheld’ so betekenisvol is, hoe sy sosiaal onderdrukkende strukture uitdaag, en op watter maniere hierdie spesifieke meisie-heroes verandering bring in Westerse voorstellings. Masters 2025-06-09T12:26:44Z 2025-06-09T12:26:44Z 2025-03 Thesis https://scholar.sun.ac.za/handle/10019.1/132478 en Stellenbosch University 90 pages application/pdf Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University |
| spellingShingle | Speculative fiction -- History and criticism Women heroes in literature Africanfuturism Womanism UCTD Raman, Kyra Ray "The speculative girl hero" through the lens of African futurism and African womanism |
| title | "The speculative girl hero" through the lens of African futurism and African womanism |
| title_full | "The speculative girl hero" through the lens of African futurism and African womanism |
| title_fullStr | "The speculative girl hero" through the lens of African futurism and African womanism |
| title_full_unstemmed | "The speculative girl hero" through the lens of African futurism and African womanism |
| title_short | "The speculative girl hero" through the lens of African futurism and African womanism |
| title_sort | the speculative girl hero through the lens of african futurism and african womanism |
| topic | Speculative fiction -- History and criticism Women heroes in literature Africanfuturism Womanism UCTD |
| url | https://scholar.sun.ac.za/handle/10019.1/132478 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT ramankyraray thespeculativegirlherothroughthelensofafricanfuturismandafricanwomanism |