African Women Write the Nation: A Conversation with Susan Andrade

African literature by male writers (e.g., Sembène and Achebe) from the 30-year period just before and after independence (1958-1988) is frequently read as taking part in nation building. Novels by women writers (e.g., Bâ, Djebar, and Dangarembga) from the same period, on the other hand, would appear to tell tales only about family relations and the domestic sphere. In her new book, The Nation Writ Small: African Fictions and Feminisms, 1958-1988 (Duke University Press, 2011), Susan Andrade challenges this assumption and demonstrates that women writers also figure the nation (if allegorically) in their works.

Image: User:Arthckunskap / CC-BY-SA-3.0

In conversation with

• Judy Miller, Dean of Arts and Humanities, Individuals
• Awam Amkpa, Associate Professor of Drama and Social and Cultural Analysis and Director, Africana Studies, New York University Abu Dhabi
• Aisha Al Kaabi, Emirati writer, translator, publisher