J.M. Coetzee and the Idea of Africa

Abstract

The debate over representations of Africa in J.M. Coetzee’s fiction tends to collapse into two irreconcilable positions: (a) he is either uninterested in the African subject or represents it as diminished, or (b) this accusation is naïve and oblivious to the autotelic qualities of Coetzee’s fiction. This article seeks to move beyond these positions by looking at moments in Coetzee’s writing when he actually does deploy Africa as sign. Analysis of these moments reveals that the sign of Africa in Coetzee is frequently rendered potent, mysterious and obscure – occulted – in order to achieve certain aesthetic effects. These effects are consistent with his efforts to enable fiction to reprise prevailing historical discourses. 

Opsomming

Die debat oor voorstellings van Afrika in J.M. Coetzee se fiksie is geneig om in twee onversoenbare kampe uiteen te val: (a) Die kamp wat meen dat hy óf nie in die onderwerp van Afrika belangstel nie óf dit as "verklein" voorstel, en (b) die kamp wat meen dat voornoemde beskuldiging naïef is en nie die outoteliese eienskappe van Coetzee se fiksie in aanmerking neem nie. In hierdie artikel probeer die outeur by hierdie standpunte verby te beweeg deur te kyk na momente in Coetzee se fiksie wanneer hy Afrika wel as teken benut. 'n Ontleding van hierdie momente toon dat die teken van Afrika in Coetzee dikwels kragtig, geheimsinnig en duister – okkulties – gemaak word ten einde bepaalde estetiese effekte te bewerkstellig. Hierdie effekte vorm deel van sy poging om fiksie in staat te stel om heersende historiese diskoerse te hervat.