Afro-European Literature: A Comparative Discourse

Abstract

The world, a global village, arising from globalization, has over time and space, impacted tremendously on world literatures. This paper therefore interrogates Afro-European Literature on a comparative discourse.  It seeks to throw further insight into the impact of African Literature on European Literature, ranging from visual arts, performativity, total theatre, song, musical and other forms of aural storytelling, memorials/commemorations on the lives of select Afro-European literary scholars, ecocriticism, nature writing, environmental ethics, etc. to critical engagements with the conceptions of select literary writers on both sides of the divide. Our thoughtfully chosen topic reflects contemporary thinking of literary studies across cultures and thus seeks to stimulate thought-provoking discussions and exploration of new insights, while, hoping to engender fresh intellectual and artistic engagement with a range of relevant literatures as we strive to extend ongoing experimentations on Afro-European literatures and transcending the boundaries of literary genres and temporal relevant contexts. The issues for deliberation are largely drawn from the Igbo literary experiences and landscape, of the totality of cultural life of the Igbo, Nigeria, in which Achebe is the torchbearer as well as the author and finisher of Modern African Literature. The inquiry is conducted by explication of relevant literatures, while we lean on the social constructivism theoretical framework, based on the assumption that our understanding of reality is shaped by social interactions and cultural context.