Neither authors nor their literary texts exist in a vacuum. Both are inspired by and engage with the social and political events of their time. This timeline represents (or will represent!) major historical events that shape literary texts by women writers from India, Africa, and the Americas from the late 19th century to the present. By the end of the semester, we will have a unified timeline representing a range of significant global events as they took place over time.
Timeline
Table of Events
| Date | Event | Created by |
|---|---|---|
| 1890-1980 | Colonialism in ZimbabweTsitsi's Nervous Condition is based on her experience in Zimbabwe due to Colonialism as well as Gender roles. However, I wanted to focus on the colonization of Zimbabwe and it's effects. The colonialism of Zimbabwe led to the integration of the English language as well as building schools to teach English history as well as the language. However, colonization often causes a loss of original language as well as the history of the area being forgotten. Abbas calls the colonization of Zimbabwe, "a colonial system that's damaging and dangerous, but still attractive in important ways for individuals who wish to abandon traditional ways of doing things in favor of a white and Western definition of success" (Paragraph 1). We often see in the text when Tambu has to deal with, not only the aftermath left by the English settlers, but also the change in her tone when referring to the settlers. We also see the condition of the land that she is living on is sandy and hard to harm on, limiting Tambu and her family's source of income. It also shows Tambu's difficulty in farming corn to help pay for her schooling. The overall presence of the colonizers helps contribute to the reason that Tsitsi wrote this account, pairing this with the gender inequality that Tsitsi also faced, and we can see the summery of Nervous Conditions.
Abbas, Fatin. "Nervous Conditions Themes: Colonialism." LitCharts. LitCharts LLC, 10 Jan 2019. Web. 26 Feb 2026. |
Lily Boyd |
| circa 1960- circa 1979 | Tsitsi's (Tambu's) experience with Nyasha's suicidal behavior.The colonization of Zimbabwe not only affected those colonized in terms of culture, socialization, dress, and more, but it also affected mental states. A great example of this could be Tambu's interactions with Nyasha. During Tambu's dive into studies and refusal to leave besides her interactions at school, Nyasha sends her letters expressing her emotions with a particular one admitting that Nyasha was not fitting in well with the other students at the school. Tambu sees this more when she returns home to see Nyasha is such a malnourished state. When Nyasha is shown to enter a suicidal state, Tambu urged for Babamukuru to take Nyasha to a white psychiatrist. However, the psychiatrist brushes the issue off by saying, “Africans did not suffer in the way [he] … described.” This showcases, the neglect for not only the state of living of the people in the colony, but also the lack of mental care that was provided to them. Tsitsi shows this to help attribute to the distain she felt towards the colonizers and her own neglect towards her cousin. Work cited DayDreamin’ Comics. “Write up on Tsitsi Dangarembga’s Nervous Conditions.” DayDreamin’ Comics, 3 May 2025, https://ddcomics.org/2025/05/03/write-up-on-tsitsi-dangarembgas-nervous…. |
Lily Boyd |
| circa 1961 intermittently until circa 1980 | The Significance of Tsitsi Dangarembga’s Life AbroadWhen Tsitsi Dangarembga was a toddler, her family moved from South Rhodesia, present-day Zimbabwe, to London so that her parents could pursue the benefits of higher education that London offered (George et al. 309). During her time in London, Dangarembga learned English, and later on in Cambridge, she learned the value of education, and about the racial and gendered divide in educational settings. This gave Dangarembga an exterior perspective of both South Rhodesia and the Western world which prompted the creation of Nervous Conditions to shine a light on her native cultures’ perspective of European education versus cultural values, during a period of civil war for freedom from colonization. Dangarembga’s stay in London is important to Nervous Conditions as her experiences give particular insight to Babamukuru’s family structure, and the differences between life in London versus life in the countryside of Rhodesia. Dangarembga could be compared to Nyasha in that she was the child of educated Zimbabwean parents who was encouraged to pursue her own education. But Dangarembga also compares to Tambu through her admiration for her native culture. Both perspectives show Dangarembga’s personal theory that the desire for liberation, “has been a problem for some young women of my generation who needed some kind of liberating theory to guide us, and then it was good, at that time, to have the Western theories there” (George et. al. 315). This dual perspective, that aligns with both main female characters of the novel, in key ways, gives Dangarembga the necessary information to display both the educated and the native perspectives of South Rhodesia in the mid-1900’s. Works Cited George, Rosemary Marangoly, Scott, Helen, and Tsitsi Dangarembga. “An Interview with Tsitsi Dangarembga.” NOVEL: A Forum on Fiction, 26.3 (1993), 309–19. https://doi.org/10.2307/1345839. |
Julia Nesmith |
| Summer 1964 to Winter 1979 | Freedom From Colonization and Nervous ConditionsThe Rhodesian Bush War, that lasted from July 1964 to December 1979, is a significant event that provided historical context to Tsitsi Dangarembga when writing Nervous Conditions because the war prompted the end to the colonization of South Rhodesia. This freedom from colonization gave South Rhodesians freedom to express their native values without the pressure to confirm to Western ideology. Though this freedom brought countrywide healing, the remnants of colonization were still felt in the form of education. This aligns with Nervous Conditions as it is set within the timeframe of the war, on the cusp of freedom. Dangarembga demonstrates this through Nyasha’s “rebellion” when she was “going through a historical phase” (Dangarembga 141). By framing Nyasha’s interest in the world as a rebellion against her native culture, Dangarembga connected Nervous Conditions to the real-life events of the time and showed that Nyasha’s desire for knowledge was her way of gaining a sense of herself in the changing world. In this way, Dangarembga presents education as a valuable tool for her countrymen, by asserting that education about the current situations in their country could help them heal from the ideology that colonization enforced. Rufus Ruth Livingston Jakki and Dr. B. Chandra Shekar describe this healing as “sporadic, fragmented, and primarily symbolic. It is not depicted as a chronological or comprehensive process, but rather as an attempt to restore voice and agency” (3), to demonstrate how Dangarembga presents education as a force that would give the Rhodesians their individual native culture back. Works Cited Dangarembga, Tsitsi. Nervous Conditions. London: Women's Press Limited, 1988. Print. Jakki, Rufus Ruth Livingston and Dr. B. Chandra Shekar. "Survival, Resistance, and Healing in Tsitsi." International Journal for Multidisciplinary Research 7.2 (2025): 1-4. https://www.ijfmr.com/papers/2025/2/41374.pdf. |
Julia Nesmith |
| 2008 | The 2008 Mumbai AttacksThe 2008 Mumbai attacks were a series of coordinated attacks carried out over the course of four days by a group of terrorists in India’s largest city, Mumbai. Ten gunmen associated with the militant group Lashkar-e-Taiba targeted specifically public locations, like hotels, railway stations, restaurants, and a Jewish community center. According to Encylopaedia Britannica the attacks resulted in over 160 deaths and hundreds of injuries to civilians. This resulted in mass widespread panic and international attention. The events were broadcast live, causing panic among populations and placing immense pressure on Indian authorities to respond quickly. This significance of this event for A Guardian and a Thief lies in how the novel reflects the atmosphere of fear, suspicious, and rapid judgement that follows acts of mass violence. In the aftermath of the Mumbai attacks, questions were raised on security, national identity, and blame. This directly lead to heightened suspicion towards marginalized communities. This dynamic is reflected in Majumdar's story, where a ‘terrorist attack’ on the rich millionairebecomes the catalyst for the wrongful generalization of Kolkata’s entire populace. This novel shows how fear can override careful investigation, just like that of the 2008 Mumbai attacks. Additionally, the attacks demonstrate how media coverage shapes public perception in almost every case. In both the real world and Majumdar’s narrative world, information spreads rapidly and awkwardly, influencing public opinion before facts are fully confirmed. Societies want security, results, and haste. Not uncertainty and a lingering since of fear- resulting in many grabbing at any information they are presented with and running with it, spreading the word no matter how dishonest it may be simply to sway their own sense of anxiety over the situation. This contributes to the story’s larger critique of systems of power, justice, and representation, where truth is secondary to urgency and narrative control. By understanding the 2008 Mumbai attacks, readers gain a deep insight into the environment that is created in the aftermath of a national-level threat. An unfortunate reality where violence, media, and political pressure intersect to shape how justice is pursued and how individuals end up being judged. People are so desperate for answers and a sense of security that they will do anything if it means they feel safer. Works Cited
D’souza, Shanthie Mariet. “Mumbai Terrorist Attacks of 2008 | Events, Death Toll, & Facts.” Encyclopædia Britannica, 2019, www.britannica.com/event/Mumbai-terrorist-attacks-of-2008.
Datta, Arko. “2008 Mumbai Attacks Plotter Says Pakistan’s Spy Agency Played a Role,” Https://Www.nytimes.com/2016/02/09/World/Asia/David-Headley-Mumbai-Attacks.html, 27 Nov. 2008.
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Vera Peace |
| 2018 | The Thoothukudi MassacreThe Thoothukudi Massacre occurred in the southern city of Thoothukudi (also known as Tuticorin) on May 22nd-23rd 2018. Locals had been expressing concerns about environmental and water pollution connected to a copper smelting plant. As protests intensified, thousands of unarmed civilians gathered to demand the plants closure. According to reports from Encylopaedia Britannica and major international news coverage, police responded with deadly force, using live ammunition to kill over 13 people and injure hundreds more. The incident sparked widespread outrage across India and raised serious questions about state violence and police brutality. The significance of this event for A Guardian and a Thief rests in its reflection of how state power is often exercised against vulnerable communities, particularly marginalized groups and those protesting inequality. In Majumdar'snovel, systems of authority always play a central role in shaping the lives of the populace, especially those with limited opportunities or resources. The Thoothukudi Massacre highlights how quickly peaceful protests can be met with overwhelming force, reinforcing the story’s theme of imbalance and entrenched systems of power. In the aftermath of the massacre, debated emerged over police accountability, government accountability, and medias representation of protesters. Similarly, Majumdar detailed how public perception and responses from those in power can influence the blame, ensures whose protected, or outright get rid of the case all together via coverups. By situating the story alongside real events like the Thoothukudi massacre, readers can better understand how Majumdar’s work engages with broader patterns of state authority, inequality, and the vulnerability of marginalized communities.
Works Cited
N, Neelanbaran. “Thoothukudi Massacre,” Https://Peoplesdispatch.org/2019/05/23/One-Year-of-Thoothukudi-Massacre/, 23 May 2019.
Saul. “Vedanta, and the Thoothukudi Massacre - London Mining Network.” London Mining Network, 25 June 2018, londonminingnetwork.org/2018/06/vedanta-and-the-thoothukudi-massacre/. Accessed 17 Apr. 2026.
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Vera Peace |
| Spring 2026 | ENGL A396 runs spring 2026Global Women Writers runs as a course! |
Julie Wise |
