Claiming History: Colonialism, Ethnography, and the NovelAlthough postcolonial studies has explored the historical influences and connections among literatures throughout the world, it has considered African writing unique. By looking at African novels--written in both French and English--of the colonial and postcolonial periods, Claiming History places African literature in its proper context within this field. Eleni Coundouriotis shows how historical narration not only "answers back" to Europe's colonialist legacy, but also serves as a complex form of dissent among Africans themselves.Exploring subjects such as human sacrifice as portrayed in the historical novels of René Maran, Chinua Achebe, Paul Hazoumé, Yambo Ouolguem, and Ben Okri, Coundouriotis argues that these authors are part of a tradition of dissent, shattering the myth of national unity. Rather than focusing on resistance to Europe--the outsider--these works reflect a variety of voices among Africans. Through their historical narratives, African novelists seek to break down and re-create their communities. Novels such as Things Fall Apart and The Famine Road have traditionally been read as ethnographies, authentically depicting the everyday life of Africans. But the emphasis on "authenticity" decontextualizes these books and neglects the ways they grapple with history. Since literature of dissent resists any single or absolute authority, it is in both colonialist and ultranationalist interests to silence it. By exploring the dialogue between literature and history, this book gives voice to African novelists' defiance of colonialism and nationalist ideology, and adds significantly to our understanding of a body of work that has long been ignored or misunderstood. |
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Claiming History: Colonialism, Ethnography, and the Novel Eleni Coundouriotis No preview available - 1999 |
Common terms and phrases
abiku Abomey Achebe's African novel African writers anticolonial argued Arrow Arrow of God authenticity authority Awa's Azaro Bakhtin Batouala becomes Bhabha blood oath British Burton catalog chapter claims consciousness context created critical culture Dahomean Dahomey's Delafosse described Devoir de violence discourse Doguicimi Duncan emergence ethnographic European example explains Famished Road fiction Forbes Forbes's francophone French colonial Frobenius Frobenius's Guezo Hazoumé Herskovits Herskovits's historical novel historicism homey Hommage Hubert human sacrifices invented Joan of Arc killing king king's landscape Le Devoir Leo Frobenius literary Moreover narrative narrator nation nationalist native negritude Nigeria numbers Okri Okri's oral Ouologuem past Paul Hazoumé perspective point of view political position postcolonial practice present problem reader reading reinvented René Maran represent representation resistance rhetorical ritual Saifs Sankolo scene Senghor sexual Skertchly slave trade Sozaboy space story symbol temporality Things Fall tion torical tradition transgression victims Victorian witness writing zoumé