Spectres from the past slavery and the politics of history in West African and African-American literature / Portia Owusu.
| Author/creator | Owusu, Portia |
| Format | Electronic |
| Publication Info | New York, NY : Routledge, Taylor & Francis Group, 2020. |
| Description | 142 pages ; 24 cm |
| Supplemental Content | Full text available from Taylor & Francis eBooks |
| Subjects |
| Series | Routledge research in American literature and culture Routledge research in American literature and culture. ^A1414595 |
| Contents | Introduction: Evoking Spectres in History -- Literary Archaeology: The Uncovering and Recovering of Black Historical Memory and Trauma in Toni Morrison's Beloved -- Articulating 'Silence': The Language of Death as Memory in Ama Ata Aidoo's The Dilemma of a Ghost -- Bloodlines and Blurred lines: Contested Memories and Freedom in Barbara Chase-Riboud's Sally Hemings -- The Limitations of 'History': Chika Ezeanya's Re-visioning of the Early Years of Olaudah Equiano and Slavery in Before We Set Sail -- (M)otherlands: Homesickness and yearnings for home in Yaa Gyasi's Homegoing -- The Magic of 'History' and Contradictions of 'Return' to Africa in Syl Cheney-Coker's The Last Harmattan of Alusine Dunbar -- Conclusion: Defining Silences |
| Abstract | "Spectres from the Past: The "History" of Slavery in West African and African-American Narratives examines the merit of the claim that West African writers, in comparison to African-Americans authors, deliberately expunge the history of slavery from literary narratives. The book explores slavery in contemporary West African and African-American literature by looking at the politics of history and memory. It interrogates notions of History and memory by considering the possibility that shared traumas, such as West African and African-American experiences of slavery, can be remembered and historicised differently, according to critical factors such as socio-economic realities, cultural beliefs and familial traditions. At the heart of the book are compelling and new readings of slavery in six literary narratives that draws on cultural philosophies, musicology and linguistics to demonstrate diverse and unusual ways that Black writers in West Africa and North America write about slavery in literature"-- Provided by publisher. |
| Bibliography note | Includes bibliographical references (pages 128-137) and index. |
| Access restriction | Available only to authorized users. |
| Technical details | Mode of access: World Wide Web |
| Genre/form | Electronic books. |
| LCCN | 2019049127 |
| ISBN | 9780367819897 (hardcover) |
| ISBN | (ebook) |