DISCURSIVE CONSTRUCTIONS OF GENDERED SUBJECTIVITY IN CHIMAMANDA ADICHIE’S FEMINIST RHETORIC

Abstract

The study explores how Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s We Should All
Be Feminists employs language to challenge patriarchal ideologies
and reframe gendered subjectivity. Drawing on Sara Mills’ Feminist
Discourse Analysis (FDA), the paper critically examines selected
excerpts that foreground themes such as socialisation, ambition,
sexuality, and marriage. Through a close reading of stylistic and
discursive features—including agency, nominalisation, and
metaphor—the analysis demonstrates how Adichie exposes the
ideological workings of gender norms while offering counterdiscourses that empower women. The findings highlight the text’s
rhetorical power in questioning normalized gender roles and
contribute to broader conversations on language, feminism, and
social inclusion.