Literatures and Cultures of Africa and/or the Middle East [NEW COURSE!]
Suzanne James
Term 2
MWF, 12:00 PM – 1:00 PM
“Women Who Refuse to Keep Quiet: Fiction by African Women”
“The woman writer in Africa is a witness, forgiving the evidence of the eyes, pronouncing her experience with insight, artistry, and a fertile dexterity.” (Yvonne Vera)
Writing by African women may be a relatively recent development, but as Ama Ata Aidoo reminds us, “African women struggling both on behalf of themselves and on behalf of the wider community is very much a part of . . . [African] heritage. . . . So when we say that we are refusing to be overlooked we are only acting as daughters and grand-daughters of women who always refused to keep quiet.” The readings we will explore in this course, drawn from a range of countries, are entertaining, disturbing and disruptive, challenging the status quo, and engaging with both the socio-political impact of colonization and challenges facing post-colonial African societies. Texts will include Buchi Emecheta’s The Joys of Motherhood, Mariama Ba’s So Long a Letter, Ama Ata Aidoo’s Changes, Tsitsi Dangarembga’s Nervous Conditions, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s Purple Hibiscus, and Akwaeke Emezi’s Freshwater.
