African Literature in English

3 units

The West has imagined Africa in fanciful but simplifying ways for centuries. This course will, instead, approach Africa as a complex site of modernity characterized by a kaleidoscopic blend of racial, ethnic, religious, political, and socioeconomic identities that defy easy summary or description. We will do this through a survey of the continent's formidable and dynamic tradition of literature written in English. The course will trace the development of African literature, from its roots in the oral tradition, to its response to colonial oppression, through its articulation of an autonomous identity on the road to political independence, and on to its contemporary status as a crucial, innovative powerhouse in the global literary marketplace. The course readings will include imaginative texts by authors such as Chinua Achebe, Bessie Head, Nadine Gordimer, Ayi Kwei Armah, and Dinaw Mengestu, as well as secondary readings on the political, cultural, and theoretical contexts within which African literature took shape. Satisfies the Twentieth Century and later requirement.