Tag Archives: “How to Write About Africa”

“Between Rwanda and Mandela”

Posted on November 29, 2015 by

A fascinating analysis of how the West’s variously optimistic and pessimistic assessments of Africa are really part of the same discourse.  We will likely be looking at Achebe’s scathing critique of (how we read) Heart of Darkness; I’m not surprised … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Taylor Swift and Imperial Romance

Posted on November 10, 2015 by

Taylor Swift did me a huge favor this fall.  Right at the beginning of the semester, she released her “Wildest Dreams” video during the broadcast of MTV’s Music Video Awards. I’m teaching a section of ENGL 282 (Intro to Fiction) … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Aminatta Forna, “Where Are the West’s Political Novelists?”

Posted on November 4, 2015 by

A wonderful recent essay by novelist Aminatta Forna; I’m halfway through The Memory of Love and totally hooked.  A provocative way of thinking about African fiction vis-a-vis “Western” fiction – lots of debates swirling around these days about how political … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , | Leave a comment