The Dynamics of Mobility in African Languages and Literatures
Opportunities and Challenges
Will be published approx. on 15. October 2026
Book
Hardback
184 pages
978-1-6669-7331-0 (ISBN)
Description
This book creates avenues for reflecting on the place of language and literature in the formation of contemporary African identities and institutions in the global age.
The works explored in this book include those written by people of African descent in the continent and "physically and culturally mobile writers" in the diaspora. Africa has been the center of movement and interconnectedness of diverse people and geographies for centuries. Furthermore, both physical and virtual mobility via contemporary technologies such as the internet have brought about new words, hybrid cultures, identities and institutions that open up new avenues, opportunities and challenges to the continent and people of African descent at large.
This book is a collection of twelve chapters that address the question of mobility in three thematic areas: Afro-diasporic cultures and literatures (Part 1); resistance and rebellion in the postcolonial era (Part 2); and resilience and challenges faced by African languages in the continent and the global stage (Part 3).
The works explored in this book include those written by people of African descent in the continent and "physically and culturally mobile writers" in the diaspora. Africa has been the center of movement and interconnectedness of diverse people and geographies for centuries. Furthermore, both physical and virtual mobility via contemporary technologies such as the internet have brought about new words, hybrid cultures, identities and institutions that open up new avenues, opportunities and challenges to the continent and people of African descent at large.
This book is a collection of twelve chapters that address the question of mobility in three thematic areas: Afro-diasporic cultures and literatures (Part 1); resistance and rebellion in the postcolonial era (Part 2); and resilience and challenges faced by African languages in the continent and the global stage (Part 3).
Reviews / Votes
This seminal work presents important reflections, against the backdrop of African literature, on the construction of the identity of Africans on the continent and diaspora after the end of colonialist oppression. Despite the expulsion of the colonizers, their languages still guide the production of this intellectuality that, using the concept of mobility, explores the challenges that this neocolonial world poses to us so that we do not uncritically assume the European identity. * Ricardo Matheus Benedicto, Professor, University of International Integration of Afro-Brazilian Lusophony, Brazil * The Dynamics of Mobility in African Languages and Literatures' represents a landmark contribution to the field of African linguistic and literary studies. This book not only expands our understanding of the intricate relationships between language, culture, and mobility in African contexts, but also significantly enriches the scholarly repository on African languages and literatures. By exploring the complex dynamics of language contact, shift, and evolution, this book sheds new light on the adaptive resilience of African languages and the creative ingenuity of their speakers. A must-read for scholars and researchers seeking to deepen their understanding of African languages, literatures, and cultures in an increasingly globalized world. * Professor Tom Olali, University of Nairobi, Kenya *More details
Language
English
Place of publication
United States
Publishing group
Bloomsbury Publishing Plc
Target group
Professional and scholarly
Product notice
Laminated cover
Dimensions
Height: 229 mm
Width: 153 mm
Thickness: 11 mm
Weight
287 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-6669-7331-0 (9781666973310)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Persons
Mohamed Mwamzandi is Teaching Associate Professor in the Department of African, African American and Diaspora Studies at the University of North Carolina, USA.
Raphael Birya is Teaching Assistant Professor in the department of African, African American and Diaspora Studies at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, USA.
Raphael Birya is Teaching Assistant Professor in the department of African, African American and Diaspora Studies at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, USA.
Content
List of Figures
List of Tables
About the Contributors
Acknowledgments
Introduction
Mohamed Mwamzandi and Raphael Birya
Part One
1. Far from Home but Never Far from Home: Exploring Swahili's Diasporic Literature
Leonard Muaka
2. Breaking Chains of the Mind: African Immigrants' Battle with Mental Slavery in Ama Ata Aidoo's Our Sister Killjoy or Reflections from a Black-eyed Squint
Juliet Adaobi Chukwuma and Martha Michieka
3. Carolina Maria de Jesus: Literature, Social Mobility, and Racial Justice from a Black Brazilian Woman's Perspective
Maria Carolina Almeida de Azevedo
4. The Nervous Condition: An Analysis of Identity Crisis and Post/Colonial Survival in the African Novel
Denis Waswa
5. Colonial Legacies and Education Reform: Analyzing Tsitsi Dangarembga's Nervous Conditions
Mohamed Mwamzandi
Part Two
6. Curriculum and Pedagogical Approaches to Teaching English in Tanzania
Beatrice Mkenda
7. The State of African Languages, Literatures and Global Mobility
Esther Mukewa Lisanza
8. Influence of "Kanga" on Swahili Culture in the Cultural Mobility Epoch
Raphael Birya
9. Language and Creativity in Igbo Literature: A stylistic Examination of Chukuezi's Udo ka Mma
Anyachebelu, Adaora Lois
Conclusion
Raphael Birya and Mohamed Mwamzandi
List of Tables
About the Contributors
Acknowledgments
Introduction
Mohamed Mwamzandi and Raphael Birya
Part One
1. Far from Home but Never Far from Home: Exploring Swahili's Diasporic Literature
Leonard Muaka
2. Breaking Chains of the Mind: African Immigrants' Battle with Mental Slavery in Ama Ata Aidoo's Our Sister Killjoy or Reflections from a Black-eyed Squint
Juliet Adaobi Chukwuma and Martha Michieka
3. Carolina Maria de Jesus: Literature, Social Mobility, and Racial Justice from a Black Brazilian Woman's Perspective
Maria Carolina Almeida de Azevedo
4. The Nervous Condition: An Analysis of Identity Crisis and Post/Colonial Survival in the African Novel
Denis Waswa
5. Colonial Legacies and Education Reform: Analyzing Tsitsi Dangarembga's Nervous Conditions
Mohamed Mwamzandi
Part Two
6. Curriculum and Pedagogical Approaches to Teaching English in Tanzania
Beatrice Mkenda
7. The State of African Languages, Literatures and Global Mobility
Esther Mukewa Lisanza
8. Influence of "Kanga" on Swahili Culture in the Cultural Mobility Epoch
Raphael Birya
9. Language and Creativity in Igbo Literature: A stylistic Examination of Chukuezi's Udo ka Mma
Anyachebelu, Adaora Lois
Conclusion
Raphael Birya and Mohamed Mwamzandi