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  • © 2019

African Mythology, Femininity, and Maternity

Palgrave Macmillan
  • Considers how common archetypes in fairy tales and cultural mythology influence and reflect social roles
  • Examines the aspects of the calabash as symbolic of the woman, the womb, and power
  • Combines description of African fairy tales and those of other cultures to find common themes and messages

Part of the book series: Pan-African Psychologies (PAAFPS)

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Table of contents (8 chapters)

  1. Front Matter

    Pages i-xvi
  2. Introduction

    • Ismahan Soukeyna Diop
    Pages 1-5
  3. Feminine Figures in African Mythology

    • Ismahan Soukeyna Diop
    Pages 7-38
  4. Symbolic References to the Feminine Body

    • Ismahan Soukeyna Diop
    Pages 39-64
  5. Correspondences with Tales from Europe and Middle East

    • Ismahan Soukeyna Diop
    Pages 65-96
  6. Impact on Women’s Social Status

    • Ismahan Soukeyna Diop
    Pages 97-119
  7. Women in the Contemporary African Literature

    • Ismahan Soukeyna Diop
    Pages 121-135
  8. Conclusion

    • Ismahan Soukeyna Diop
    Pages 153-159
  9. Back Matter

    Pages 161-162

About this book

This book explores feminine archetypes and mythological figures in African and European traditions with an underlying goal of describing the foundations of social status for women. The author provides a rich corpus of mythology and tales to illustrate aspects of female and mother-daughter relationships. Diop analyzes the symbolic aspects of maternity and femininity, describing the social meaning of the matrix, breasts, and breastfeeding. A retrospective of female characters in African literature brings an interesting approach to explore the figures of femininity and maternity in society.  After an extensive analysis of African mythology and tales, the author proposes a way to integrate them in the clinical psychotherapy as a projective material. The analysis of clinical cases offers an example of how this material can be used in therapy with women from African descent.

Authors and Affiliations

  • Faculté de Lettres et Sciences Humaines, Cheikh Anta Diop University, Dakar, Senegal

    Ismahan Soukeyna Diop

About the author

Ismahan Soukeyna Diop, PhD, is a teacher-researcher at Cheikh Anta Diop University. She has worked and written on the topic of women, femininity, and maternity. Her research and practice are focused on the integration of tales in psychotherapy.

Bibliographic Information

Buy it now

Buying options

eBook USD 79.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book USD 99.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info
Hardcover Book USD 99.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Other ways to access