In fact, african american literature embodies novels, poems and plays showing the status of race as a whole. Still not considered true art, most criticism of black literature is devoted to a discussion of the message obrien cited in cook 1985, instead of style, characterization, form, and the like. Afrocentrism definition, examples, history, beliefs. The chicago renaissance 271 michelle yvonne gordon 19. Ralph ellison became the first african american to win the national book award for. African american and postcolonial studies literary theory. It is in some respects a response to global attitudes about african people and their historical contributions. Provides the intellectual context for understanding african literature. It is the type of criticism that reflects the idea of literature going green. Afrocentricity, african literature, criticism, zimbabwean literature. Dialogue with non african literary traditions this is what is confused in williamss essay, towards a theory of perhaps the theory most widely used in the criticism of african literature is cultural production in africa, where he claims that literary criticism as ileoaristoteli. In tbe case of african american writing, the problem that must be acknowledged is central to the whole question of writing as a consciously symbolic act. Several nineteenthcentury black intellectuals published to rescue african history from obscurity, and establish the antiquity of civilization in africa. The critical concept of afrocentrism in nigerian literature.
African american literary theory provides a unique historical analysis of how these thinkers have shaped literary theory, and literature at large, and will be a indispensable text for the study of african american intellectual culture. Sep 25, 2017 african american and postcolonial studies by nasrullah mambrol on september 25, 2017 2. In chapters 11, 12, and, we will then present three other theoretical stances. The terms afrocentrism, afrocology, and afrocentricity were coined in the 1980s by the african american scholar and activist molefi asante. The most important thinker in the area is henry louis gates, jr. African american language styles in afrocentric schools. An afrocentric reading of matthews infancy narrative matthew 12.
The term african american refers to the tradition of literary criticism in the geographical space of the u. Amutas key argument is that african literature can be discussed only within the wider framework of the dismantling of colonial rule and western hegemony in africa. African american literature from the seventieth century. The critical reception of modern african poetry core. Afrocentric critic is able to ascertain the cultural address of the author asante,l990. While marxism originated in europe historically, it is a truly revolution. Hamlet has chosen essays that illuminate various aspects of african american culture, refracted through the lens of afrocentric thought. Although there were certainly slaves writing in the early days of slavery and colonization, the african american literary tradition began to take root in the 17th and 18th centuries, when former slaves such as frederick douglass and phillis wheatley came. African literature has a long history stretching back over thousands of years.
Afrocentrism, also called africentrism, cultural and political movement whose mainly african american adherents regard themselves and all other blacks as syncretic africans and believe that their worldview should positively reflect traditional african values. A history of african american literature has to include some discussion of those deceptively transparent terms literature and african american and the issues raised by their juxtaposition. Eco criticism, environment, eurocentrism, afrocentrism, nature, ecosystem, flora and fauna, primitivism, barbarism. Colle ctively, they used evidence of african history and african cultural wealth to affirm both their humanity and citi.
Traces of afrocentricity in the lion and and the road. Analysis of richard wrights blueprint for negro writing. Afrocentrism also afrocentricity is an approach to the study of world history that focuses on the. Beginning in the prerevolutionary war period, african american writers have engaged in a creative, if often contentious, dialogue with american letters. The result is a literature rich in expressive subtlety and social insight, offering illuminating assessments of american identities and history. In the study of any body of literature, one is always confronted with a particular set of premises or conditions that must be acknowledged at the outset. The origins of african american literature is an invaluable revelation of the emergence and sources of the specifically african american literary tradition and. In this lecture, professor paul fry examines trends in african american criticism through the lens of henry louis gates, jr. Thoughts on contemporary african literary criticism the. Though the afrocentric idea has featured sporadically in the history and literature of african peoples, as mentioned in bayo. The role and implications of african cultural values in.
The afrocentric paradigm has identical principles with ubuntu which in africa exemplifies african. Knowledge of otherness, in mudimbes the invention of africatioa. There is no necessary contradiction between marxism and afrocentrism in literary criticism. Characteristics of african american literature pen and the pad. Pdf on jan 1, 2015, tunde adeleke published africa and afrocentric. The afrocentriceurocentric approaches dichotomy is strangely outofplace in an african context and is curiously outoftouch with the issues.
The participants included eight african american men who were active or had successfully completed afrocentric therapy at a center in a large metropolitan area in the midwestern united states as well as two therapists. Afrocentric social work csu research output charles sturt. May 05, 2015 african literature written in the postcolonial era by authors of african descent. This is, perhaps, as a result of the bid to puncture the. Despite popularity for this collection of literature growing in the 1950s, its history goes back to ancient egypt. Facilitates the future development of african literary criticism. Afrocentricity is a paradigm based on the idea that african people should reassert a sense of agency in order to achieve sanity. Brings together key texts that are otherwise hard to locate. Where africanity is concerned with african values, norms and traditions or culture. The african american literature is a literature about a movement, not only geographical, historical and political, but also physical and emotional.
Ajirototu 2000, but while afrocentrism discusses african and africanamerican. Afrocentric african critics, therefore, seem to recommend the africanized tools for african literature. This is the first anthology to bring together the key texts of african literary theory and criticism. The cambridge history of literary criticism april 2001. In the 1960s, much diatribe was exchanged by african literary artists within their caucus, and outside with different scholars interested in african literature. The writers works reflect their identities warren 05. Afrocentricity intends engaging in cultural relocation asante 2007. African american literary history and criticism chapter. Using afrocentrism to explore african values in selected. The periods exceptional outpouring of black literature came to be called the harlem renaissance. This group included martin delany, and the pioneers. Equally important to afrocentrism were figures such as the african american scholar maulana karenga, whose work resulted in the creation of the afrocentric holiday of kwanzaa in 1966.
Would you like to get the full thesis from shodh ganga along with citation details. African american literary history and criticism chapter 19. Jan 28, 2016 contemporary african american literature includes strains of black postmodernism, neo. Extending sundiatas argument, this thesis situates the criticism of three insidious nigerian traditions which marginalise and subjugate fellow nigerians as afrocentric discourse.
Eurocentrism and the study of literature scholarly. The critical concept of afrocentrism in nigerian literature submitted. Writers are categorized as black writers, and major artists are often lumped together with student and. The origins of african american literature, 16801865 on jstor. Today in african, especially in nigerian literary criticism, vernacular ethnic critics have taken over or seem to have taken over the business and profession of nigerian literature and criticism. Criticism of african literature 1545 words bartleby. The result is a literature rich in expressive subtlety. Pdf the criticism of african literature amechi akwanya.
There are three modules and fifteen units in this course. The origins of african american literature is an invaluable revelation of the emergence and sources of the specifically african american literary tradition and the forces that helped shape it. Afrocentric historicism developed as a medium of black protest against what was perceived as the universalistic, absolutist and fundamentalist claims of western historiography in relation to the interpretation and determina. African american ethnic pride and creativity flourished during the 1920s.
Afrocentrism is an approach to the study of world history that focuses on the history of people of recent african descent. The relations between africans in africa and afroamericans were cemented by dubois. That is why i trace response to oral poetic performances as of the udje and ijala and the continuation into modern works in english, french, or portuguese, among others. During the l960s a group of african american intellectuals in the newlyformed black studies departments at universities began to formulate novel ways of analyzing information. Postcolonialism in africa refers in general to the era between 1960 and 1970, during which time many african. All have many years of experience in teaching the subject at university level, and have also published academic writing on african american literature. Apr 17, 2017 african american literature refers to literature written by americans of african descent. African american literature, body of literature written by americans of african descent. A brief history of african american literature and criticism is undertaken, and the relationship of both to. African american is a 2credit unit compulsory course for 300 level undergraduate students in the department of english. Within the primarily anglophone field of postcolonial studies, the analysis of african literature has largely meant the analysis of writing in english. References to other theories african american can connect to colonial criticism and feminist criticism. It suffices, then to look at african culture from afrocentric perspective.
Reforming the canon, tradition, and criticism of african american literature. The african american literary period of realism, naturalism, and modernism, also referred to as the age of wright, was when the writers and artist would expose the realities and identities of living in america and the harshness of society. African american modernism and state surveillance 254 william j. African american and postcolonial studies literary. Some of the critics of the movement believe that it often denies or minimizes european, near. A reader is the first volume to document the central texts and arguments in african american literary theory from the 1920s through the present. The genesis of a critical african perspective in the criticism of the african literature dates back to the desire among the african elites to liberate the literature from the polydialectic criticisms of western aesthetics. Taking african literature as a starting point, it is easy to see the emphasis on human concerns and subjectivity in its scholarship. Afrocentric epistemological premisesfirst and foremost, the way one acquires knowledge of african experience, events, phenomena or personalities, needs to be done from afrocentric perspective and the assumptions of the nature of reality should be informed by afrocentric understanding of the nature of reality. Recent work in postcolonial studies by united states scholars has stressed the relationship between postcolonial theory and the analysis of african american culture ducille 1996. African american literature from the seventieth century till. In part i, the basics of afrocentric ideology and methodology are examined. African world series includes bibliographical references and index.
This groundbreaking work, first published in 1989, was one of the first to challenge the conventional critical assessment of african literature, and remains highly influential today. Important writers of fiction of the time include langston hughes and zora neale hurston. African literature possessing those qualities that define it as such. The early african american writings have become recognized as a genre in the enlightenment period, but this literature has undergone a lot of changes since then. African american literature, criticism and theory goyal. A brief history of african american literature and criticism is undertaken, and the relationship of both to feminist theory is explicated. Characteristics of african american literature pen and. As the volume progresses chronologically from the rise of a black aesthetic criticism, through the blacks arts movement, feminism, structuralism and poststructuralism, and the rise of queer theory, it focuses on. Afrocentric curriculum with african american men in therapy through a series of indepth interviews and observations. Europe using the views of african writers and argues that universalism can. Introduction eco criticism is one of the new arrivals on the scene of literary criticism.
African american literature presents a wide range of writings from the colonial period to the present. Culture, language and evolution of african literature. The criticism of african literature awakened and grew by means of controversy during the 1970s and 1980s, with some of the critics taking the view that african literature can only competently be. Engl 300 lecture 21 africanamerican criticism open. Sblasp society of biblical literature abstracts and seminar papers. Their polarisation of afrocentric values as opposed to euro centric and. Modern african literature is the natural inheritor of traditional african literature and though. Brings together key texts that are otherwise hard to locate covers all genres and critical schools provides the intellectual context for understanding african literature facilitates the future development of african literary criticism. Characteristics of african american literature in kathryn. For her thesis, ebony gibson interviewed eight african american literature professors on what should and should not be classified as african american literature. Afrocentric understanding of african cultureafrocentricity should not be confused with africanity. Modernity and african letters 2003, for instance, offers an analysis of the configuration of agency in african literature. In this chapter we will consider one of cultural studies varying theories.
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