Contemporary African Literature

Catalog description

Contemporary African Literature is an introductory course on fictional and nonfictional works by canonized African writers from the African continent and the diaspora. Close readings of literature by authors from the 1950s to the present day, such as Chinua Achebe, Ngugi Wa Thiong’o, and Chimamanda Adichie unveil literary traditions, themes, and motifs specific to African writing. An examination of the writers’ attention to topics such as (colonialism, ethnic war, gender oppression, migration, and Afropolitanism) allows for a critical analysis of the historical, social, and political issues on the African continent. The authors’ discussions about globalization and its impact on African nations, particularly in relationship to the global marketplace, highlight the paradoxical nature of Africa’s rich natural resources (oil, diamonds and coltan) against the continent’s economic dependency on global investors. Postcolonialism, Feminism, and Psychoanalytic theory will enrich students’ interpretation and analysis of the texts.