Date of Award
5-11-2025
Date Published
June 2025
Degree Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Master of Arts (MA)
Department
African American Studies
Advisor(s)
Herbert Ruffin II
Keywords
Colonialism;Decolonial Struggles;Feminism;Orature (African Oral Tradition);Pan Africanism;Patriarchy
Subject Categories
African Studies | International and Area Studies | Social and Behavioral Sciences
Abstract
This thesis examines the activism of Mĩcere Gīthae Mũgo, a distinguished Kenyan literary scholar, playwright, and feminist, whose works remain a vital part of twentieth and twenty-first century liberational struggles across Africa and the diaspora. Through a critical analysis of her literary projects, academic work, and political engagements, this study explores how Mũgo’s intellectual interventions challenged colonial, postcolonial, and patriarchal structures. It draws on feminist, Pan-Africanist, and decolonial theoretical frameworks, to situate career struggles for intellectual freedom, gender justice, and cultural reclamation. The thesis investigates foundational elements of Mugo activism, employing a multi-method qualitative approach: that includes textual analysis, oral history interviews, formal and informal conversation. It interrogates her role in the push for decolonized education, academic freedom, and human rights, particularly within the historical contexts of Kenya and the broader Pan-African world. The study also traces the evolution of Mũgo’s intellectual contributions, from her engagement with orature as a tool for cultural preservation and resistance to her radical feminist critiques of oppressive structures. Mũgo’s work not only reclaims indigenous knowledge systems but also redefines the role of African women in political and cultural discourse, establishing her significance for ongoing struggles for liberation, feminist thoughts, and the decolonization of African intellectual traditions. The research contributes to the growing body of scholarship that foregrounds African women intellectuals as architects of social transformation, securing Mũgo’s significance as a pioneering force in the fight for justice and self-determination.
Access
Open Access
Recommended Citation
Kiduko, Erica Charles, "Reckoning with an Icon: Exploring the Activism of Mĩcere Githae Mũgo" (2025). Theses - ALL. 952.
https://surface.syr.edu/thesis/952
