Hair Politics in the Blogosphere: Safe Spaces and the Politics of Self-representation in Chimamanda Adichie's Americanah

Abstract

[eng] This article studies the way hair politics are explored in Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s Americanah (2013) and the novel’s representativeness within the “third wave” of the hair movements. The focus is on the reconfiguration of counter discursive “safe spaces” as defined by Patricia Collins. The article argues that modern and traditional models of self-perception and -representation are paramount when contrasting the hair salon, a traditional cultural institution for Black women, with online natural hair communities as spaces that enable features of a more “participatory culture” . Both spaces are analyzed here in relation to the personal development of Ifemelu, Americanah’s main character, and her “hairstory”.