Intersex Bodies, Literary Representation and Cultural Intersectionality: Gender Bounding Violence in An Ordinary Wonder (2021)

• Published in: English studies in Africa Vol. 68; no. 2; pp. 25 - 36
• Main Author: Tortosa-Signes, Lara
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Routledge 03.07.2025
• Subjects: An Ordinary Wonder; binarism; Buki Papillon; gender; intersex; Nigeria; violence; Yemayá
• ISSN: 0013-8398; 1943-8117
• DOI: 10.1080/00138398.2025.2537551

In this paper I explore how intersexuality, a subject rarely addressed in Anglophone Nigerian literature, is treated in Buki Papillon's An Ordinary Wonder (2021). I examine the societal stigma surrounding intersex bodies, their underrepresentation in media, and intersex activists' advocacy for bodily autonomy and self-definition. The analysis studies how Papillon navigates precolonial and postcolonial perspectives on gender and sex, focusing on Lori, the protagonist and narrator, and her struggle to be perceived as a woman. It further investigates whether Lori seeks to disrupt the gender binary or find a livable alternative. The study also considers the role of the Yorùbá goddess Yemayá in the novel and how traditional beliefs might be a source of solace in opposition to the rigidity of colonial gender norms, which tend to situate diverse bodies in critical situations. Thus, I evaluate the intersection of culture and gender identity while addressing themes of monstrosity, violence and restrictive gender stereotypes. These discussions critically engage with the novel's treatment of complex issues, contributing to the broader discourse on intersex representation in literature.