Monthly Archives: February 2016

Narrative Strategy in Crossbones

Posted on February 29, 2016 by mayaamarshall

There is something frentic about the construction of the prose in Crossbones. Its cinematic focus can shift from sentence to sentence within a paragraph. I’m struck by the interchangeability of (though with complicating nuances) characters’ situations, and the break-neck speed … Continue reading →

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Mbembe’s “management of the multitudes” and Farah’s Crossbones

Posted on February 28, 2016 by mmagnero

In “Necropolitics” Achille Mbembe discusses what he refers to as the concept of “management of the multitudes” (34) within contemporary warfare. For Mbembe, the management of the multitudes within areas ravaged by resource extraction is analogous with “brutal attempts to … Continue reading →

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CPLT conference TOMORROW!!!!

Posted on February 26, 2016 by Anne Gulick

Alex Beecroft’s announcement, and the full schedule, below.  Seydina at 10:30! Vilashini Cooppann at 4:00!!!!!!! See you there… Dear All, A quick reminder about the upcoming 18th annual Comparative Literature conference, this year on the theme of “Worlding the Disciplines.” … Continue reading →

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Salty Sozaboy

Posted on February 25, 2016 by Johnathon Hall

Through our discussion on Sozaboy on Tuesday we ran into statements all about salt from a preacher. There are other statements as well that focus on salt, but I would like to isolate specifically this one. “’You people are the … Continue reading →

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#BLM and Necropolitics

Posted on February 25, 2016 by devakellam

In Necropolitics, Mbembe provides a comprehensive and nuanced map of colonial violence. He further provides coordinates at the intersection of history, culture, and politics, to help us navigate the uncertain relationship between autonomy and terrorism. Of particular interest to me … Continue reading →

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Ambiguity in Sozaboy

Posted on February 25, 2016 by Lily Howard-Hill

When reading some of the pieces for this week, I was struck by some of the insinuations or implications of ambiguity in the African novel. Ambiguity in this context contrast a set of events, letting the African novel reflect the … Continue reading →

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Biopower in Allah is not obliged

Posted on February 25, 2016 by sdiouf

“My concern is those figures of sovereignty whose central project is not the struggle for autonomy but the generalized instrumentalization of human existence and the material destruction of human bodies and populations. Such figures of sovereignty are far from a … Continue reading →

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How Birahima Makes Sense of Necropolitics in Allah is Not Obliged

Posted on February 25, 2016 by victoriachandler

The kind of political power that Achille Mbembe describes in “Necropolitics,” is exactly the kind of power at work in Allah is Not Obliged. In his essay, Mbembe argues that political power is bound up in the power “to dictate … Continue reading →

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Rusty Radiator Awards: The Best Worst Human Rights Campaigns

Posted on February 23, 2016 by devakellam

Relevant: http://www.rustyradiator.com/

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Repetition in Allah is Not Obliged

Posted on February 23, 2016 by Jonathan Dunn

Ahmadou Kourouma’s novel Allah is Not Obliged makes heavy use of repetition in both language and structure to underline its themes on tribal war, child soldiers, and violence in Western Africa. The story is extremely voice-driven – irreverently narrated by … Continue reading →

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