Currents (Dec 2024)
American literature in the eyes of African students
Abstract
American literature is undeniably a powerful force in the literary world. A towering giant, it stands above others, exerting a significant influence on global literary cultures. Students from different nationalities and cultures therefore find themselves having to contend with the fact that they have to focus heavily on American literary works, typically at the expense of their own literary traditions and the unique experiences from their respective cultures. All societies should receive their just due to ensure a more well-rounded understanding of the world. Without this representation, there is a very real danger that perspectives become skewed towards the American experience at the expense of other cultures which are very rich, colorful, and replete with enlightenment and lessons that can often be missing from American literature. The United States does not represent the whole world and literary works need to reflect this reality. Having cultural diversity is critical in literature to ensure proper representation. The following discussion thus seeks to examine the feelings of African learners who read American texts such as Manifest Destiny by Anders Stephanson and Blood Meridian by Cormac McCarthy. The article tries to answer the question whether the students may feel a connection to certain stories but feel alienated from others, depending on the relatability of the texts to their African experience.
