In
this seminar, you will be introduced to a range of exciting works by
African-Irish writers and artists. We will mostly read poems and short
stories, but will also take a look at some examples of spoken word
performances, activism and (political) essay writing. We will explore
such texts from a cultural studies perspective and thus also discuss
them against the backdrop of Irish (colonial) history and the process of
modernisation that became intricately connected to social constructions
of whiteness in the 1990s.
The
powerful works by African-Irish writers are worth exploring in their own
right, but they are also highly relevant when we consider what
difficulties BPoC, regardless of whether they are immigrants, refugees
or were born in the Republic of Ireland, faced since the establishment
of the Direct Provision system in 2000 and the referendum on citizenship
in 2004. Among the aspects we will discuss are social identity
constructions (matters of “Irishness”), the ambiguity of social
constructions of “blackness” and “whiteness” in an allegedly
anti-imperialist and postcolonial society, and the cultural work of
literature and art in general. Besides,
we’ll discuss the role of African-Irish writing in raising awareness
for discriminatory structures, for expanding understandings of
Irishness, for opening up the canon of Irish literature and thus
possibilities of representation and, more generally speaking, for
heightening the visibility of the “new Irish” (a somewhat problematic
term we’ll have to scrutinise).
In
this seminar, you will thus not only encounter texts by African-Irish
writers and artists but will also be confronted with representational
conventions and habits of seeing and reading. To establish a framework
for our critical reflection and our analyses, we will read some academic
articles and excerpts from (postcolonial) theory. During the course of
the seminar, we will continuously reflect on the concepts we encounter,
interrogate representational conventions and contest established habits
of seeing when reading texts and watching performances by, for
instance, Melatu Uche Okorie, Chiamaka Enyi-Amadi and FeliSpeaks.
You
have never heard about these developments in Ireland before? You know
next to nothing about Irish literature and culture? Familiarity with
Irish literature, history and culture is highly welcome but, of course,
not mandatory. So don’t worry – sign up for this seminar to learn more
about Irish society, literature and history and to get to know some
exciting “new” voices in poetry and prose, arts and activism!
- Dozent/in: Alessandra Boller