African popular literature from the postcolonial novel to contemporary comics

The course deals with modern African literature in English, from the postcolonial novel of the 1960s onwards. The first part of the course provides an outline of early postcolonial literature and relevant literary criticism. The main focus, however, is popular literature which has been written primarily for African readers and how literary works in this category can be understood in relation to historical, economic, and societal events and changes from the 1980s onwards. The course offers students the opportunity to find out about contemporary academic debates on African popular literature, talk to African writers and cultural workers, and independently search for, study, and theorise relevant material available online.