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Open Access Publications from the University of California

Scholarly Works (3 results)

  • Article
  • Peer Reviewed
Ufahamu: A Journal of African Studies, Volume 39, Issue 2 (2016)
This article explores early criticism of Maryse Condé’s first novel, Heremakhonon (1976), which characterized the text as a veiled yet accurate depiction of the author’s time in West Africa. This paper makes the argument that the historical value of the text is lost when viewed as an autobiography. On the contrary, the power of Heremakhonon’s narrative is best understood when the differences between Maryse Condé’s life and the central character of Veronica are recognized. Only then can the reader glean historical value in Condé’s work of fiction inspired by her experiences in post-colonial West Africa.
    Cover page: A Life Lived Between Autobiography, Fiction, and History: Maryse Conde
    • Article
    • Peer Reviewed
    Ufahamu: A Journal of African Studies, Volume 38, Issue 2 (2015)
    This paper examines Edouard Glissant’s Creolization theory as it pertains to the African roots of Antillean culture. Although the discussion of Glissant’s creolization theory may not be particularly innovative, this paper attempts to employ the notion of the cultural rhizome to place Glissant’s theories within the trajectory of Antillean intellectual history. This paper also makes use of Glissant’s poetry, which is greatly informed by his theoretical oeuvre.
      Cover page: Edouard Glissant and the African Roots of Creolization
      • Thesis
      • Peer Reviewed
      UCLA Electronic Theses and Dissertations (2014)

      This thesis comparatively and critically examines "La Noire de..." (1962) by Ousmane Sembène and "The Belly of the Atlantic" (2003) by Fatou Diome as testimonial pieces of Francophone African literature that share common themes and threads despite the 40 years that separate them. Both narratives deal with issues of cultural alienation as induced by French Colonialism, yearning for transformation, and disillusionment within the Senegalese social climate. Featuring female domestic workers as protagonists, "La Noire de..." and "The Belly of the Atlantic" relate to each other in a way that is of special interest when considering a trajectory of female voices in Senegalese testimonial fiction.

        Cover page: Yearning for Transformation: Women Living in the Margins of Senegal and France, 1958-2003
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