INTERSECTING VOICES: ETHNICITY, GENDER, AND FEMINIST IDENTITY IN TONI MORRISON’S SELECTED WORKS

Abstract

This study investigates the intersection of ethnicity and feminism in Toni Morrison’s selected works by adopting a novel Intersectional Framework Approach (IFA) centered on The Bluest Eye, Sula, Beloved, Jazz, and Paradise. Within IFA, The Bluest Eye is examined through the lens of racialized beauty standards and the internalized oppression of African American women. Sula is positioned within the framework of female individuality, friendship, and conflict with community norms. Beloved is analyzed through the framework of memory and historical trauma, exploring how enslaved women reclaim voice and identity. Jazz is interpreted through the framework of urban migration, love, and improvisation to trace shifting gendered identities in Harlem. Paradise functions within the framework of exclusion and resistance, questioning patriarchal dominance within Black communities themselves. Collectively, IFA highlights Morrison’s redefinition of feminism as culturally grounded, emphasizing community, memory, and resistance in the reclamation of Black womanhood.