Exploring Caribbean Spirituality and Womanism in Nalo Hopkinson's “Brown Girl in the Ring”

Caribbean Spirituality and Womanism in Brown Girl in the Ring by Nalo Hopkinson

Nalo Hopkinson is a writer who stands for Black futures. Her place in science fiction is the perfect genre to make commentary on the future. Brown Girl in the Ring, though it was published in 1998, takes place in a future post-apocalyptic Toronto. In this future, the rich have fled the city and left it a desolate place, where gangs and drug addicts run the streets. We are introduced to this world through the character Rudy and his criminal mission to steal a heart for the Premier of Ontario. Then comes the protagonist, Ti-Jeanne, who has just had a baby and ends up crossing paths with the evil Rudy. This meeting forces her to awaken a deep spiritual power that she has been fighting against. It is a force that sends us readers into questions of identity, family and the quotidian nature of magic. 

Hopkinson has imagined a future where Black women have power. Despite the state of this anti-Black world, Ti-Jeanne’s story is one worth being told. Seeing the world from her gaze inherently challenges white supremacist rhetoric, which tells Black women that our realities don’t matter. The world of Ti-Jeanne centers Black women and our knowledge, despite the looming power of the discriminatory systems they are survivors of. 

Ti-Jeanne’s narrative is one of self-discovery and resistance. Through Ti-Jeanne's perspective, Hopkinson gives voice to the resilience of Black women and the importance of our presence in both speculative fiction and real-world narratives.

Womanism, Caribbean Spirituality, and Magic

Brown Girl in the Ring is a quintessential example of womanist literature. The novel is steeped in Caribbean spirituality, with strong ties to Vodou and other African diasporic traditions. Throughout the book, Ti-Jeanne navigates her own fears and the spiritual gifts she inherits from her grandmother, Gros-Jeanne. Her struggle to accept and control her visions, which include seeing death, represents the broader tension between spiritual inheritance and the desire to reject the responsibility that comes with it.

Hopkinson’s exploration of spirituality is not only rooted in Caribbean folklore but also deeply intertwined with the womanist ideals of agency and resilience. The focus on Ti-Jeanne’s growth as a woman and as a spiritual being is a celebration of how Black women’s spiritual practices can empower them to resist oppression and take control of their futures. Spirituality, in Hopkinson’s world, is not just a tool for survival—it is an act of resistance.

The Importance of Language and Vernacular

Nalo Hopkinson takes after her mother with her love for sewing, cooking, and anything to do with the domestic arts. She grew up going to four different high schools in four different countries. Her childhood home was filled with books since her mother was a library cataloguer. In a conversation with writer Valerie Walker on folklore, feminism, and sea-maidens, Hopkinson reveals a tender soul, which still shines bright with the spark of girlhood. She is a writer that sees the past, present and future as fluid. Someone who implores writers to let go of perfectionism, to experiment instead of striving for what they believe others will like.

Another powerful aspect of Hopkinson’s work is her use of language. Her concern about language was most likely influenced by her father, who was a poet, actor, and playwright. The novel’s blending of Jamaican Patois and English gives the characters an authenticity that brings them to life on the page. Readers can relate to the characters' voices in Brown Girl in the Ring because they speak with the rhythm and cadence of actual people, which helps to ground the book in real-life experiences.

The incorporation of language as a cultural and political tool also connects to the larger theme of identity. In an interview with the Speculative Literature Foundation, Hopkinson shared her belief that “all language is beautiful”. In order to preserve a kind of cultural resistance that has endured across generations, she emphasized how Caribbean dialects have consistently refused to conform to standardization.

Hopkinson’s Womanist Influence and Legacy

Nalo Hopkinson’s commitment to crafting speculative narratives that center on Black women’s experiences places her in the lineage of iconic writers like Toni Morrison and Octavia Butler. Like them, Hopkinson’s work is womanist, focusing on the intersection of race, gender, and power in ways that challenge dominant cultural narratives.

Hopkinson's emphasis on family, ancestry, and spiritual growth offers an alternative vision of the future—one where Black women are not passive survivors but active agents shaping their destinies. This message of empowerment is woven throughout Brown Girl in the Ring, which remains a radical and necessary text in both speculative fiction and Black literary traditions.

Nalo Hopkinson's Writing Journey

Hopkinson’s literary career reflects her dedication to pushing the boundaries of science fiction and speculative fiction. Her work includes Midnight Robber, The Salt Roads, The Chaos, Sister Mine, and Jamaica Ginger and Other Collections. Throughout her writing, she continues to explore themes of identity, resistance, and empowerment.

In a conversation with Gregory E. Rutledge, who is an English professor at the University of Nebraska, Hopkinson discussed the challenges Black writers face in a predominantly white literary world. She shared her perspective on how Black writers are often confined to writing about “being Black in a white world,” a limitation that restricts their creative freedom. Hopkinson’s own work defies these boundaries, celebrating the complexity of Black identity and the possibilities of alternate futures.

Nalo Hopkinson said that it is radical for Black people to imagine our futures. She said this when she was speaking about “Brown Girl in the Ring”. She also said that to notice race is to take a risk. Like writer Octavia Butler, she took a risk by putting a Black girl at the forefront of dystopian literature.

Nalo Hopkinson’s Womanist Vision of the Future

Nalo Hopkinson’s Brown Girl in the Ring is a groundbreaking work of womanist science fiction that explores Caribbean spirituality, the resilience of Black women, and the power of language. Through Ti-Jeanne’s journey, Hopkinson challenges the traditional narratives of power, identity, and destiny, offering a radical vision of the future where Black women can access their spiritual and ancestral strength. By weaving these elements together, Hopkinson creates a narrative that is not only a thrilling dystopian story but also a powerful statement on the importance of Black women’s voices in speculative fiction.

For those interested in the intersections of womanism, spirituality, and Black futures, Brown Girl in the Ring offers a profound and empowering story that continues to resonate with readers today.