Intersectionality and Otherness in Girl Woman Other by Bernardine Evaristo

Authors

  • P. U. Okorie Pursuing Ph.D. in the Department of English, University of Maiduguri, Nigeria.
  • I. Nwadike Pursuing Masters in Department of English, University of Maiduguri, Nigeria

Keywords:

Black British literature, Race, Gender, Feminism, Intersectionality

Abstract

This study uses Kimberlé Crenshaw’s theoretical framework to analyze how intersectionality and otherness are portrayed in Bernardine Evaristo’s Girl Woman Other. The analysis looks at how various identity categories—such as race, gender, sexual orientation, class and nationality—interact to create unique marginalization and resistance experiences. The study shows how Evaristo depicts the complicated realities faced by people who live outside of prevailing social norms by concentrating on characters like Amma, Dominique, Yazz, Bummi, Carole and Morgan. The book shows how structural injustices still exist in modern-day Britain, especially those pertaining to racism, sexism, homophobia, class differences and gender expectations. The analysis also emphasizes the significance of intergenerational relationships, community and sisterhood in opposing oppressive systems and building resilience. This study contends that Girl Woman Other portrays identity as fluid, relational and shaped by intersecting social realities drawing on the writings of Kimberlé Crenshaw, Stuart Hall, Audre Lorde, Judith Butler, Toni Morrison, Angela Davis and other academics. In the end, Evaristo’s polyphonic story celebrates diversity and the transformative power of group solidarity while providing a potent critique of discriminatory systems.

References

Bayhan, S. (2022). Intersectionality and Black feminist consciousness in Bernardine Evaristo's Girl, Woman, Other. Journal of International Social Research, 15(88), 78–84.

Butler, J. (1990). Gender trouble: Feminism and the subversion of identity. Routledge.

Crenshaw, K. (1989). Demarginalizing the intersection of race and sex: A Black feminist critique of antidiscrimination doctrine, feminist theory and antiracist politics. University of Chicago Legal Forum, 1989(1), 139–167.

Crenshaw, K. (1991). Mapping the margins: Intersectionality, identity politics, and violence against women of color. Stanford Law Review, 43(6), 1241–1299. https://doi.org/10.2307/1229039

Davis, A. Y. (1981). Women, race, & class. Random House.

Evaristo, B. (2019). Girl, woman, other. Hamish Hamilton.

Hall, S. (1996). Why Fanon? Why now? Why Black Skin, White Masks? In A. Read (Ed.), The fact of Blackness: Frantz Fanon and visual representation (pp. 12–37). Institute of Contemporary Arts.

hooks, b. (1981). Ain't I a woman: Black women and feminism. South End Press.

Limbu, R. (2025). Prospects and Challenges of Homestay Business after the Covid-19 Pandemic: A Case of Shree Antu Village, Nepal. Asian Journal of Sociological Research.

Lorde, A. (1984). Sister outsider: Essays and speeches. Crossing Press.

Mahdawi, A. (2023, February 20). Racism and the backlash against Halle Bailey's Ariel reveal that some people still can't accept a Black mermaid. The Guardian.

Morrison, T. (1992). Playing in the dark: Whiteness and the literary imagination. Harvard University Press.

Olusoga, D. (2017). Black and British: A forgotten history. Pan Books.

Omi, M., & Winant, H. (2015). Racial formation in the United States (3rd ed.). Routledge.

Parker, R. (2018). Feminism and race in contemporary literary studies. Women's Studies Review, 45(2), 154–168.

Sarikayaen, H. (2022). Sisterhood and resistance in Bernardine Evaristo's Girl, Woman, Other. Journal of Narrative Studies, 8(3), 301–310.

Strauss, S. (2021). Intergenerational memory and social exclusion in Bernardine Evaristo's Girl, Woman, Other. European Journal of English Studies, 25(1), 18–25.

Zorc-Maver, D. (2021). Constructing the Other in Bernardine Evaristo's Girl, Woman, Other. ELOPE: English Language Overseas Perspectives and Enquiries, 18(2), 119–132.

Downloads

Published

31-03-2026

How to Cite

P. U. Okorie, & I. Nwadike. (2026). Intersectionality and Otherness in Girl Woman Other by Bernardine Evaristo. The Watchman, 10(1), 9–16. Retrieved from https://watchmanjournal.com/index.php/tw/article/view/2

Issue

Section

Research Article