African Literature in Portuguese

Recommended Prerequisites

Portuguese language skills.

Teaching Methods

Previous reading of suggested texts, including theoretical ones; professor's interventions to expose facts, questions, and problems; debate on the issues scheduled for each session, with interventions from all participants; motivation to develop research and writing projects; formal/programmed oral interventions; participation in seminars and colloquia organized or suggested by the professor, in the context of African literatures in Portuguese.

Learning Outcomes

1. To know some canonical and recent works and the general critical bibliography of African literatures in Portuguese

2. To acquire basic knowledge about the cultural field in Portuguese-speaking African countries

3. To develop small research and academic writing projects on subjects studied in the seminar

4. To acquire adequate theoretical tools for the area 

Work Placement(s)

No

Syllabus

1. Themes of the history of African literatures

2. Key topics: nationalism, engagement, history, classism, racism, gender, African diaspora

3. Theoretical perspectives: literary studies, ethnographic studies, post-colonial studies

4. Occasionally, other cultural elements, eg music and plastic arts

Assessment Methods

Assessment
Regular attendance: 10.0%
Oral presentations: 30.0%
Research work: 60.0%

Bibliography

Chabal, P. et al. (orgs) (1996). The Postcolonial Literature of Lusophone Africa. Hurst & Co.

Hamilton, R. (1984). Literatura africana, literatura necessária (Vol. I e II). Edições 70.

Laranjeira, P. (1995). Literatura africana de expressão portuguesa. Com I. Mata e E. Rodrigues dos Santos. Universidade Aberta.

Ki-Zerbo, J. (org) (2010): História geral da África I. Metodologia e pré-história da África. UNESCO.

Leite, A. M. et al. (orgs) (2018). Nação e Narrativa Pós-Colonial III – Literatura & Cinema Cabo Verde, Guiné-Bissau e São Tomé e Príncipe. Colibri.

Mata, I. (2010). Polifonias insulares. Cultura e literatura de São Tomé e Príncipe. Edições Colibri.

Secco, C. T. et al. (orgs) (2010). África, escritas literárias: Angola, Cabo Verde, Guiné-Bissau, Moçambique.

Wieser, F. & Falconi, J. (orgs) (2021). DecliNações: género e nação nas literaturas e culturas africanas de língua portuguesa. Almedina.