In our first week, we will begin to explore the literature and the background of women emerging as literary voices on the continent of Africa and in South Asia. We will ask questions about "stories" and see a video about how vital and important stories can be to our understanding of ourselves and others in the world. We will begin to do some research as we read the first novel on the women and the worlds that they inhabit.
SEMINAR PAPER ASSIGNMENT--DUE Oct. 7th
Our first novel, Changes: A Love Story, was written by Ama Ata Aidoo(link about her life) almost 20 years ago. She was one of the first women in Africa to challenge any idea that women could not write or that women should not have a different voice, method, or style of expression for storytelling on the continent with its many diverse groups of people. She wrote in all literary genres and lived in both West and East Africa while she wrote, taught at university, and raised children. She is currently a long term visiting professor of African studies at Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island. To find out more about her go to this general information about Aidoo's work and life.
Use this link for questions to guide your reading and our seminar discussions on this novel.
Use this link for issues of Feminist Africa.