Transnational Media Articulations of Ghanaian Women: Mapping Shifting Returnee Identities in an Online Web Series

iii Dedication . v Acknowledgments. vi Chapter 1: General Introduction . 1 Background . 5 Statement of the Problem . 7 Purpose of Study . 12 Significance of Study . 13 Research Questions . 15 Delimitation . 15 Organization of Study . 16 Chapter 2: Literature Review . 19 A Framework of In-betweeness: A Theoretical Positioning . 19 Global colonialism and constructing transnational subjectivities: A global . 19 cultural process. 19 Transnational complexities and diasporas. 20 African women as cultural remitters. 24 African diasporas and cultural transmittance. 28 Diasporas, African women’s cultural work, and media. 29 Digital diasporas and African women’s work: A politics of aesthetics. 32 African Women, Diasporas, and Gendered Issues . 36 Identity, Cultural Brokers, and Cultural Reentry . 38 Colonialism and Gender: Transnational Gender Constructions . 43 Gender in African Societies . 47 Religion. 54 Social Constructivism . 56 Finding Middle-ground, Crossing Boundaries . 62 Distribution of the Sensible . 63 Identity and In-betweeness . 68 Aesthetics as Forms of Resistance and Identity Articulation . 70 ix Aesthetics of in-betweeness: Hybridity, conviviality, and intempestivity. 74 African women’s politics of aesthetics as dissensus. 79 Methods of protest. 80 A Transnational, Postcolonial Feminist Approach of In-betweeness . 83 Summary . 88 Chapter 3: Methodology . 89 Positioning Myself . 91 Research Design . 94 Media Theory and Method. 95 Data Sources . 98 The web series. 99 Interviews. 101 In-depth interview: Self-articulation. 101 Focus group discussions: Transnational sites. 104 Interview analysis. 107 Other Data . 108 Summary . 108 Chapter 4: Findings and Discussion . 110 The Creator and Co-producer . 110 Five Returnees . 114 Articulating Independence: Navigating Gender Relations . 120 Articulating independence. 120 Living single. 121 Consequences for articulating independence through house ownership. 126 Trophy men. 132 Defining the trophy man. 133 Policing the Female Body: Obsession with Etiquette . 134 Sexual Harassment . 137 Education is not enough for women. 140 Portrayal of Men: All Men Are Bad . 141 Navigating dicey relationships. 141 Articulating Independence Through Sexual Expression . 145 Proximity to the West: Pejorative Construction of Other Ghanaians . 149 x Distanciation: Recreating the West in the postcolony. 153 Distanciation through stereotypes. 159 Only Africans take dumps. 159 Bureaucracy and corruption. 159 Distanciation through double standards/double bind. 160 Articulation Through Dress and Style . 161 Navigating Cultural Differences in the Home Country Upon Reentry . 165 Intra-gender Relations: Women are Not Their Worst Enemies . 167 Defining the Ideal Women: Can You Cook Jollof Rice? 170 Religious Ambivalence . 173 Empowering the Ghanaian Woman . 174 Summary . 176 Chapter 5: Conclusions and Recommendations . 178 Summary of Findings . 179 (re)Framing female independence and dependence. 179 Development and Diasporan Studies . 179 On Feminism . 181 Becoming Ghanaian . 184 An African City and Bechdel Test . 185 Limitations of the Study. 186 Conclusions . 187 References . 188 Appendix A: List of An African City Episodes . 213 Appendix B: In-depth Interview Guide . 214 Appendix C: Recruitment Text for In-depth Interviews . 215 Appendix D: Focus Group Interview Guide .