Gendered discourses in selected post-colonial feminist writers in Zimbabwe: a relook at the impact of literature texts on high school learners

Post-colonial feminist writers have significantly challenged traditional gender representations in lit-erature, particularly in high school novels. These writers often explore themes of identity, power dy-namics, and resistance within the context of colonial and post-colonial societies. Through their works, they highlight the experiences of marginalised groups, particularly women, and critique how gender roles are constructed and enforced. The paper aimed to examine gender representation in high school novels, focusing on high school novels in Zimbabwe. The feminist lens was also used to critique lan-guage in set book novels, together with Gee`s use of metaphors, Ferguson and Thompson`s legitima-tion linked to rationalisation, summing up the strength of language. Ferguson and Thompson`s ra-tionale focuses on critiquing the traditional assumptions underlying economic development theories, emphasising the importance of historical context, power dynamics and cultural factors in shaping development processes. The findings showed that post-colonial feminist writers often present complex and multidimensional female characters who defy stereotypes and expectations. The literature texts navigate issues of race, class, and gender with resilience and agency, offering learners a more nu-anced understanding of the intersections of identity and power. These characters are portrayed as strong, independent, and capable of challenging oppressive systems. The paper concludes from the findings that the selected four set book novels portray that gender representation remains imbalanced and biased towards males who have economic and social power, which takes away women`s power.