H. Oby OKOLOCHA is a Professor of African Literature, theory and Criticism in the Department of English and Literature, University of Benin, Benin City, Edo State, Nigeria. She holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in English from the University of Nigeria, Nsukka (1985), a Master’s degree in Comparative Literature from the University of Nigeria (1994) and a PHD in Dramatic Literature from the University of Benin, Benin City (2013). For over two decades in the Faculty of Arts, University of Benin, she has taught courses in English and African Drama, Prose Fiction, Poetry, Oral Literature, Research Methodology and creative writing.
Within the enclave of dramatic literature, Okolocha’s publication record indicates an abiding interest in research dealing with gender relations, feminism, trauma, conflict and social justice, areas in which she has numerous publications in scholarly journals inside and outside Africa. She has also published short stories and poetry.
Okolocha’s research trajectory continues the trend in African feminist discourse of recognizing both the affinities and differences of emerging African trends to older concepts and these works delineate her as artistic, critical and an activist contributor in building just and more equitable modern African societies. Her multi-prong approach to her works respond to the need for African scholarly productions to be both academic and social, to feed the mind as well as serve the larger society. Notably, her research suggests a new phase of gender relations articulated in the phrase “post-feminism,” for she consistently hints that African feminist discourse and gender relations have arrived at a watershed and that this new frontier may be both temporary and illusionary. Thus, her research continues to explore how this new frontier impacts on the social and economic politics of gender relations.
She belongs to several professional bodies such as the African Literature Association (ALA), African Studies Association (ASA), Literary Society of Nigeria (LSN), and Association of African Women Scholars (AAWS). She is the National President of Literary Society of Nigeria.
