Border-Crossing: Religion, Gender, Race, and Class in the Journeys of Ifemelu in Americanah

This chapter is an analytical reading of the journeys of Ifemelu, the protagonist of Adichie’s novel, Americanah, and her simultaneous experiences of religion, gender, race, and class in Nigeria and as an African immigrant woman. It is an attempt by an African female theologian to inquire and find ways to investigate the challenges of African women in the diaspora and their experiences with religion, race, identity, and class as written by contemporary African women writers such as Adichie’s Americanah. The research utilizes the theory of intersectionality through the lenses of border-crossing, gender, race, eco-feminist, and postcolonial feminism. The paper concludes that Adiche’s Americanah is an empowering tool in the discourse of liberation theology in the global space, especially for African women and their intersectional experiences.