Postapartheid South African Literature

This course is a survey of postapartheid South African literature and film. In the aftermath of apartheid post-1994, South African literature has tangled with ideas about what kind of future is possible. Labelling itself as the “Rainbow Nation,” South African politicians, activists, and artists (literary, visual, musical) have sought to create a democratic vision of South Africa that celebrates differences of race, culture, gender, and sexual orientation. Using 1994 as our moment of departure, this course will examine the “future” of South Africa as told through postapartheid South African fiction and film. Acknowledging that there are many ways to imagine the future, this course examines how portrayals of race, of gender and sexuality, and of the nation serve to construct and disrupt ideas about the future.