"Veil Walking": Assertions of Bodily Autonomy and Black Mothering as Forms of Agency in Yaa Gyasi's Homegoing
Title
"Veil Walking": Assertions of Bodily Autonomy and Black Mothering as Forms of Agency in Yaa Gyasi's HomegoingDate
August 2025Metadata
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Yaa Gyasi's Homegoing addresses the legacy of colonialism by outlining the race-based discrimination embedded in ideological, legal, economic, and social structures for both Ghana and the US. In this thesis, I explore the ways in which characters reclaim agency despite these oppressive structures through bodily autonomy, sexual freedom, Black mothering, and othermothering. Rather than focusing on the victimization of the Black community, my thesis focuses on collective resistance against injustice that results in improved conditions.Advisor
Valens, KejaYoung, Stephenie