African Literature Criticism and the Post-colonial Curriculum

Abstract

Who are the most important black authors in anglophone Africa and which are their most significant writings? One way of answering such questions is to examine which authors literary critics choose to write about and which texts teachers of literature choose to teach. Since those who are professionally engaged in interpreting African literatures discriminate when selecting what to comment on, a canon (or canons) can be said to exist. This paper seeks to identify canonical authors and canonical texts by employing statistical methods based on empirical research in Africa and the West. The results are presented comparatively and diachronically.

Opsomming

Wie is die belangrikste swart outeurs in Engelssprekende Afrika en watter is hulle betekenisvolste werke? Een manier waarop sulke vrae beantwoord kan word, is om te kyk welke outeurs literêre kritici kies om oor te skryf en welke tekste letterkundedosente kies vir hulle onderrig. Omdat diegene wat professioneel betrokke is by die interpre­tasie van Afrika-letterkundes diskrimineer wanneer hulle selekteer waarop hulle kommentaar wil lewer, kan daar gestel word dat ‘n kanon (of kanons) bestaan. Hierdie artikel poog om kanonieke outeurs en kanonieke tekste te identifiseer met behulp van statistiese metodes wat op empiriese navorsing in Afrika en die Weste gebaseer is. Die resultate word vergelyk en diakronies voorgestel.