AFR 367(F) Women Writing Africa (Same as Africana Studies 403, Comparative Literature 361, English 364 and Women's and Gender Studies 364) (W)*
This course will serve as an introductory survey of contemporary African literature writing by women. Predominantly (but not exclusively) penned in English, this sub-Saharan literature feature various traditions, geographical terrains, historical moments, social conundrums, and political relationships. Reading these texts together will help us think through a variety of questions, including: On what basis, if at all, is it possible to conceive of an international African women's literary tradition? Towards which experiences or themes have some African writers gravitated in their writing? How have female authors responded to or diverged from their male counterparts? And how have they embraced or critiqued tradition in the face of colonial patriarchy? What "constructions" of Africa (or specific African countries) have they helped produce through in and their literatures? What visions of the colonial past, or of a postcolonial future, do they help us imagine, and why? Texts will likely include novels, short stories, and poetry by Buchi Emecheta, Ama Ata Aidoo, Miriama Bâ, Tsitsi Dangarembga, Yvette Christiansë, Zoë Wicomb, Bessie Head, Chimamanda Adichie, Yvonne Vera, and Calixthe Beyala. We will also draw upon secondary essays in African feminism and gender studies.
Format: seminar. Evaluations will be based upon: attendance and participation, regular short writing assignments, one class presentation, one mid-term, and one final research paper. Enrollment limit: 19 (expected: 19). Preference given to Africana Studies concentrators.
Hour: ROBOLIN