Sexual politics and gender imperialism in Alice Walker's possessing the secret of Joy

Secret of Joy Alice Walker strikes with the graceful power at the heart of the most controversial issues of the time. In it she very powerfully describes the circumscriptive, oppressive and degrading roles of the society which denies a black woman to think, decide and live freely and fearlessly. The rituals and tradition like circumcision, the celebration of womanhood and scarification which are very frequently celebrated in some of the black communities, demand complete denial of self from a black woman. Walker very critically examines and interrogates the African tradition of female genital mutilation in this novel. These are the traditions which are frequently practiced even now-a-days.