TYDSKRIF VIR LETTERKUN DE • 48 (2) • 2011 112 Instances of Bessie Head’s distinctive feminism, womanism and Africanness in her novels BessieHead wasoneof the Drumwritersof the1950s. Ascriticssuch asHuma Ibrahimhaveindicated it wasonly after her death in 1986 that she was included in discussions on the Drum generation. The result of her prior exclusion has been the double marginalization of Head’s literary contribution, as one of the overlooked black South African writers of the 1950s and the lack of critical acclaim of her as an individual author. For this reason, she is one of the black South African writers who should consciously be given prominence today. This article utilizes an analysis of Head’s novels not attempted so far. It is difficult to interrogate Head’s work fruitfully, unless questions are addressed to whether she approaches her imaginative writing as an Africanist, a feminist or just as a woman. It will be argued that her fiction highlights the plight of the socially marginalized in eccentricand seminal waysand that it bearsthepotential to enrich debateson Africanism, feminismand womanism. Conclusions on howthecomplexitiesof Head’spsychecan bebeneficially used to enrich a morejudiciousreading will bedrawn fromevidence gathered from her novels. Key words: Africanism, Bessie Head, Drum writers, feminism, womanism. Introduction Huma Ibrahim (1996: 14) significantly points to an “increasing recognition of the complexity of Head’s writing” that started only as recently as 1989 with the posthumous publication of her shorter and smaller pieces Tales of Tender ness and Power (1989), A Woman Alone: Autobiographical Writings (1990), TheCardinals (1993) an d A Gestureof Belonging (1991). This paper recognizes that the layers of the complexity of Head’s novels still have to be decoded more fully from a number of perspectives, and it is its aim to highlight some increased lucidity that may be obtained through considering Head’s novels from the point of view of Africanism and womanism/feminism. Ibrahim (1996) and Elder (2004) stress the need to detect the peculiarity of Head’s functional notion of normative concepts. Ibrahim (1996: 20) observes that Head’s “exploration of the limitation of women’s power” marks a fundamental deviation from the simplistic feminist premise that “even the smallest power in women’s hands somehow advances the cause of feminism.” For Ibrahim (1996: 20), such a feat in Head’s problematization of the seemingly smooth concept of feminism should be attributed to her awareness that “societal taboos surrounding women’s sexuality are L. J. Rafapa, A. Z. Nengome and H. S. Tshamano L. J. Rafapa is an Associate Professor in the Departement of English Studies, University of South Africa. E-mail: rafaplj@unisa.ac.za A. Z. Nengome and H. S. Tshamano are associated with the University of Venda, Thohoyandou, South Africa. E-mail: Zacharia.Nengome@univen.ac.za, Humbulani.Tshamano@univen.ac.za Instances of Bessie Head’s distinctive feminism, womanism and Africanness in her novels