In Search of the Afropolitan: Encounters, Conversations and Contemporary Diasporic African Literature

327 Pages·2016·1.611 MB·English

by  Eva Rask Knudsen, Ulla Rahbek

In Search of the Afropolitan

In Search of the Afropolitan
Encounters, Conversations, and
Contemporary Diasporic
African Literature
Eva Rask Knudsen and Ulla Rahbek
London•NewYork
PublishedbyRowman&LittlefieldInternational,Ltd.
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Copyright©2016byEvaRaskKnudsenandUllaRahbek
Allrightsreserved.Nopartofthisbookmaybereproducedinanyformorbyany
electronicormechanicalmeans,includinginformationstorageandretrievalsystems,
withoutwrittenpermissionfromthepublisher,exceptbyareviewerwhomayquote
passagesinareview.
BritishLibraryCataloguinginPublicationInformationAvailable
AcataloguerecordforthisbookisavailablefromtheBritishLibrary
ISBN:HB978-1-78348-353-2
ISBN:PB978-1-78348-354-9
LibraryofCongressCataloging-in-PublicationData
Names:Knudsen,EvaRask,author.|Rahbek,Ulla,author.
Title:InsearchoftheAfropolitan:encounters,conversationsandcontemporarydiasporicAfrican
literature/EvaRaskKnudsenandUllaRahbek.
Description:Lanham:Rowman&LittlefieldInternational,2016.|Includesbibliographicalrefer-
encesandindex.
Identifiers:LCCN2016018984(print)|LCCN2016019190(ebook)|ISBN9781783483532(cloth:
alk.paper)|ISBN9781783483549(pbk.:alk.paper)|ISBN9781783483556(Electronic)
Subjects:LCSH:Africanliterature(English)--21stcentury--Historyandcriticism.|Africandiaspora
inliterature.|Africans--Raceidentity.|Groupidentity--Africa.
Classification:LCCPR9340.5.K682016(print)|LCCPR9340.5(ebook)|DDC820.996--dc23
LCrecordavailableathttps://lccn.loc.gov/2016018984
TMThepaperusedinthispublicationmeetstheminimumrequirementsofAmerican
NationalStandardforInformationSciencesPermanenceofPaperforPrintedLibrary
Materials,ANSI/NISOZ39.48-1992.
PrintedintheUnitedStatesofAmerica
Contents
Acknowledgements vii
Opening:InSearchoftheAfropolitan 1
1 Afropolitanism—AContestedFieldandItsTrajectories 13
2 TheAuthorsinConversationwithSimonGikandi 43
3 TheVexedQuestionofMobility 63
4 Here,There,andElsewhere:TheUnhingingofHomeand
Belonging 89
5 ‘AfricansoftheWorld’andthePoliticsof(Re-)Connection 115
6 TheAuthorsinConversationwithKwameAnthonyAppiah,
MinnaSalami,EmmaDabiri,andAstaBusingyeLydersen 143
7 TheAuthorsinConversationwithSefiAtta,ChikaUnigwe,and
BrianChikwava 179
8 SharingandCaring:StorytellingandAfropolitanCommunities 209
9 AComplexWeave:‘Race,’Gender,andAfropolitanLove 235
10 Less-FortunateAfropolitans,‘LapsedAfricans,’andClass
Conundrums 265
AStatementbyTaiyeSelasi 289
EndNotes:AfropolitanNarratives,Tropes,andStyles 291
References 305
Index 313
v

Acknowledgements
InSearchoftheAfropolitanwouldneverhavefounditspresentformwithout
the valuable contributions of writers and critics who kindly shared their
thoughts and ideas with us along the way. In particular, we wish to thank
Kwame Anthony Appiah, Simon Gikandi, Minna Salami, Sefi Atta, Chika
Unigwe, Brian Chikwava, Taiye Selasi, Emma Dabiri, and Asta Busingye
Lydersen for stimulating conversations and their encouraging interest in our
project.
WearegratefultoMiaAndréCortesfortheformidabletaskoftranscrib-
ingalltheconversationsandtoLunaMarieGymoeseBerthelsenforinvalu-
ableeditorialassistanceingettingthemanuscriptreadyforsubmission.
We also thank our bright and enthusiastic students at Copenhagen Uni-
versityfortheircontributionstoourclassesonAfropolitanliterature.
The Danish Carlsberg Foundation made it possible for us to travel and
meetmanyofthewritersandcriticswhoseworkwediscussinthebook.Our
conversationswiththemareacrucialpartofthebook,yetwithoutthegener-
ous grant from the Foundation, the fieldwork that our project is based on
wouldnothavebeenpossible.WethanktheFoundationforitssupport.
vii