Literature 2161 - Postcolonial African Fiction:Political and Spiritual Centers

Institution:

Bard College

Subject:

Description:

Students examine the ways in which modern African literature identifies and responds to the alienation it experienced as a consequence of European colonialism. The course takes a historical and biographical approach, in order to show differing emphases and themes in 20th-century African fiction. Was there a political, social, and spiritual center to Africa before the coming of Europeans and, if so, can this center be identified, retrieved, or created anew? Are African writers translating their personal experiences of alienation and disorientation into their work? How does literature present social, political, and spiritual problems in terms of language, character, metaphor, and structure? Authors include Dambudzo Marechera (Zimbabwe), Bessie Head (South Africa / Botswana), Ken Saro-Wiwa (Nigeria), Helon Habila (Nigeria), and Moses Isegawa (Uganda).

Credits:

4.00

Credit Hours:

Prerequisites:

Corequisites:

Exclusions:

Level:

Instructional Type:

Lecture

Notes:

Additional Information:

Historical Version(s):

Institution Website:

www.bard.edu

Phone Number:

(845) 758-6822

Regional Accreditation:

Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools

Calendar System:

Semester

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