Literary Africa

This seminar explores the historical contexts and epistemic implications of the idea of “Africa” as it takes shape in diverse representational modes that include memoir, travel narrative, and the novel. Starting with 19-century autobiographical writing by Black and so-called “native agents” of Christian missionary organizations, we will conclude with 20th and 21st-century fiction, film, and cultural theory by major African and diasporic figures. We are particularly interested in the multiple Africas to be found in the texts and the aesthetic, political, or existential work they perform. Authors will include Samuel A. Crowther, Akwaeke Emezi, Saidiya Hartman, Tayeb Salih, Ousmane Sembène, William H. Sheppard, Tiyo Soga, Derek Walcott, and Richard Wright.