Familial Space and Children’s Social Identity in Elieshi Lema’s Parched Earth: A Love Story

Abstract

This article examines the representation of children’s social identity in Elieshi Lema’s Parched Earth: A Love Story. In the context of family abandonment, this article explores the use of familial space in the narrative and its role in the construction of children’s social identity. In this undertaking, we are primarily guided by Obioma Nnaemeka’s ‘nego-feminism’ and Spain Daphne’s spatial theories, which facilitate an understanding of the role of space in the construction of one’s social identity while challenging the patriarchal assumptions through ‘negotiation’. We argue that familial space plays a crucial role in the construction of children’s social identity. Through the flashback structure, the protagonist narrates her childhood experiences after family abandonment and the experiences of other children to expose the debilitating nature of patriarchy, whose effects cut across age, gender, ethnicity, and social class.