Intersectionality and the Lived Realities of Nigerian Women: A Postcolonial Feminist Analysis

Abstract

This paper interrogates the lived experiences of Nigerian women in a society marked by intersecting systems of oppression. Drawing from Black feminist thought, especially the works of bell hooks, and grounded in qualitative content analysis, it explores how poverty, region, culture, and religion shape women’s lives and reproduce structural inequalities. Using interviews from the University of Michigan’s Global Feminisms Project, the study highlights how Nigerian women resist and reimagine their realities in the face of practices such as child marriage, widowhood rites, and female genital cutting. The findings reveal that women’s strategies of resistance are often rooted in their cultural and religious contexts, and that intersectional oppressions are most acute in rural and economically marginalized regions. The study further reveals how feminist engagement must navigate the dual challenge of resisting patriarchy while respecting cultural frameworks. As a Black African feminist, we propose that effective feminist interventions in Nigeria must be community-based, context-sensitive, and open to negotiation rather than confrontation. This research contributes to ongoing conversations about feminist solidarity, gender justice, and the philosophical implications of intersectionality in African contexts.