Dr. Florence Ebila teaches in the School of Women and Gender Studies, Makerere University. She holds a PhD in African Languages and Literature from the University of Wisconsin, Madison- USA. Her research interest is in gender, cultural and conflict studies. She has done a lot of research on the representation of gender in African women’s autobiographies especially political autobiographies and autobiographies of women in conflict situations. Her current research is investigating the relationship between autobiography and history.
The research focuses on autobiography as history arguing that even though autobiography has often been classified more as a literary genre, it contains as much history as it does stories. Autobiographical subjectivities are still defined within historical and social contexts and therefore such writings can bring out women’s histories. Using this lens, the study interrogates Maxine Eleanor Ankrah’s autobiography from a historical perspective while drawing insights into her life, the life of a Black woman who has had multiple identities and experiences.
Using a feminist historiographical methodology, the study analyses Ankrah’s experiences and uses them to interrogate issues of racism, gender, class discrimination and oppressions The study argues that Ankrah’s autobiography presents opportunity for understanding history thus her experiences are not merely stories but also representations of history, politics, and a representation of a part of the Ugandan women’s movement as well.
