Chapters authored
Losing One’s Culture: The Narrative Identity of Nigerian Catholic Religious Sisters
This chapter reports on part of the findings of a doctoral research focused on identity construction of Catholic religious sisters in the Church and in the wider Nigerian society. Primarily, the chapter interrogates how Catholic religious sisters negotiate their culture identity within the context of living religious life. Data were collected from 18 sister participants, who were purposefully recruited from two religious congregations across the different states of Nigeria. These included six temporary professed, six final professed and six leaders (including superiors/formators) representing the different categories of sisters that live religious life. The data were thematically analysed using the Dialogical Self Theory I-positions. The second sentence revealed tendencies for the participants to lose their cultural identity in terms of their struggles and sometimes compromises in identifying Western culture as the dominate culture of religious life. In this regard, the participants reported that their Nigerian communitarian culture of love, care and hospitality is regulated to the background. In response, this chapter calls for further research towards exploring the impact of culture on Catholic religious sisters’ expression of identity.
Part of the book: Culture and Identity
Effects of Covid-19 Pandemic on Women’s Mental Health: A Critical Review of Literature
Although COVID-19 has affected both men and women, it seemingly has impacted on women’s mental health in peculiar ways, specifically in terms of varying forms of abuse such as increased gender-based violence (GBV), which dehumanizes women. Across the globe, women have been notable victims of gender-based violence, but the surge of COVID-19 has worsened the records of GBV. Therefore, this chapter provides a critical review of literature conducted through three database sites: Google Scholar, Research Gate, and Sage based on researches published across 2020–2022 (and other available data documents) in relation to the effects of COVID-19 on women’s mental health. Based on the reviewed articles, recommendations were made for strategic adjustment, particularly for policy makers and for women themselves to be more proactive in being agentive toward self-protection and advocacy.
Part of the book: COVID-19 Pandemic, Mental Health and Neuroscience