Style and Gender in Transnational Contemporary Anglophone Nigerian Literature

Style and Gender in Transnational Contemporary Anglophone Nigerian Literature: Beyond the Canon's Gaze introduces students and researchers to current debates in West African stylistics. While existing scholarship has examined linguistic indigenisation, there remains a pressing need to explore the socio-historical contexts underlying the use of ethnic terms and Nigerian Pidgin English, as well as the ways language is systematically deployed to reinforce gender asymmetry. This volume synthesises postcolonial stylistics, feminist stylistics, and authenticity theories to offer a practical framework for analysing the interplay of multiple idioms within transnational literary texts. Through detailed analysis of seven Nigerian authors, the volume demonstrates how language is deeply intertwined with power dynamics, gender relations and the construction of insider/outsider status, especially in migratory contexts. By examining how Nigerian English, Naija and indigenous languages convey multilingual and multicultural settings both within and outside the diaspora, it sheds light on the critical interplay between language, identity, culture, gender and migration. The works examined span 2005 to 2021, with most authors belonging to the third generation of Nigerian literature. Engaging with linguistic studies of Nigerian English and Nigerian Pidgin English, the volume illustrates how each text provides unique insights into multilingualism in Nigeria, offering readers both theoretical grounding and practical analytical tools for understanding contemporary West African literary production.