ANGEL OF JUSTICE OR DEVIL OF CRIME? FEMALE AGENCY IN THE KENYAN WOMEN’S ADVENTURE NOVEL

Abstract

 The question of female agency has been one of the key issues in modern gender-related discourse, in all its spheres, directions and trends. In “Well-being, agency and freedom” Amartya Sen generally defines agency as referring to “what a person is free to do and achieve in pursuit of whatever goals or values he or she regards as important (203).” Emma Samman and Maria Emma Santos in their article “Agency and empowerment: A review of concepts, indicators and empirical evidence” define agency as “an actor’s or group’s ability to make purposeful choices.” (3) They explain further that agency is “strongly determined by people’s individual assets (such as land, housing, livestock, savings) and capabilities of all types: human (such as good health and education), social (such as social belonging, a sense of identity, leadership relations) and psychological (self-esteem, self-confidence, the ability to imagine and aspire to a better future), and by people’s collective assets and capabilities, such as voice, organization, representation and identity”.

Key words: Female, agency, gender, identity, literature, Kenya