Maya Angelou and Alice Walker: two female voices building social change

Abstract

This article analyzes the works of Maya Angelou and Alice Walker from a biographical and historical perspective to understand how African American female voices build the space that drives social change in contexts of racism and patriarchy. The purpose is to examine how their autobiographies and novels reflect and contribute to the affirmation of female subjectivity and feminist and African American resistance. It is theoretically grounded in contemporary feminist trends, including womanism, and in literary studies that link autobiographical narrative with the construction of identity and agency. The research is qualitative and uses biographical and historical methods, textual analysis of autobiographies and novels, and critical review of secondary sources. The results show that Angelou and Walker articulate the African American female experience in their works as an act of cultural and political resistance that goes beyond confessional narrative to become an instrument of social transformation. It concludes that both authors are essential voices for understanding the relationship between literature, gender, and social change, showing how their writing promotes visibility and the struggle against oppressive structures. This study reaffirms the importance of African American feminist literature as a powerful tool for emancipation and activism.