African Pasts, Presents, and Futures: Generational Shifts in African Women's Literature, Film, and Internet Discourse (After the Empire: The Francophone World and Postcolonial France)

African Pasts, Presents, and Futures: Generational Shifts in African Women's Literature, Film, and Internet Discourse, by Touria Khannous, provides a history of African women's cultural production, as well as an alternative approach to the arguments that have traditionally dominated post-colonial studies in general, and African and gender studies in particular. It examines some of the more overarching questions that are prevalent in the works of African women authors, who position themselves within the contexts of Islam, feminism, nationalism, modernity, and global and postcolonial politics, thus engaging in the construction of socio-political platforms for reform in their home countries. The book explores different aspects of women's agency at the political, cultural, social, religious and aesthetic level, and highlights their civil society activism and push for legal reform. It also traces their opinions on a range of social and political questions and underscores fundamental shifts in their positions and concerns through the different generations. Acknowledgments; Theoretical Introduction; I: Negotiating Colonial and National Politics; 1 Algerian Women in the Public Sphere; 2 Ama Ata Aidoo's Modernism and the Politics of Postcolonialism; 3 Rewriting Power; II: Postcolonial Injustices; 4 National Reconciliation through Narrative; 5 National Violence and Male Crisis Discourse in Yvonne Vera's The Stone Virgins; 6 Political Satire in Tess Onwueme's Play No Vacancy; III: Reflections on Islam, Identity, and Gender; 7 Islam, Gender, and Identity in Leila Abouzeid's The Last Chapter 8 Strategies of Representation and Post/colonial Identity in Farida Benlyazid's Door to the Sky and Moufida Tlatli's Silences of the Palace9 Islam, Youth, and the Global; IV: Internet Discourse and Women as Agents of Change; 10 Debating Islam, Gender, and the Arab Spring; Conclusion; Bibliography; Index; About the AuthorAfrican Pasts, Presents, and Futures: Generational Shifts in African Women's Literature, Film, and Internet Discourse, by Touria Khannous, critically reevaluates assumptions in liberal feminist theory, which has examined African women primarily in terms of their object status rather than as agents effecting change. By analyzing forces of marginalization, subordination and empowerment, the book carves out arenas for African women within feminist theory and creates spaces for the recognition of their place in nationa Theoretical introduction -- Negotiating colonial and national politics -- Algerian women in the public sphere: remaking herStory in Assia Djebar's film La Nouba des Femmes du Mont Chenoua -- Ama ata Aidoo's modernism and the politics of postcolonialism -- Rewriting power : Bessie Head's revolutionary politics -- Postcolonial injustices -- National reconciliation through narrative : Malika Oufkir's Stolen lives -- National violence and male crisis discourse in Yvonne Vera's The stone virgins -- Political satire in Tess Onuweme's play No vacancy -- Reflections on Islam, identity and gender -- Islam, gender and identity in Leila Abouzeid's The last chapter : a postcolonial critique -- Strategies of representation and post/colonial identity in Farida Benlyazid's Door to the sky and Moufida Tlatli's Silences of the palace -- Islam, youth and the global : Leila Merrakshi's controversial film Marock -- Internet discourse and women as agents of change -- Debating Islam, gender and the Arab Spring : Moroccan and Tunisian women's cyberspace. Contents 7 Acknowledgments 9 Theoretical Introduction 11 I: Negotiating Colonial and National Politics 29 1 Algerian Women in the Public Sphere 31 2 Ama Ata Aidoo’s Modernism and the Politics of Postcolonialism 55 3 Rewriting Power 67 II: Postcolonial Injustices 85 4 National Reconciliation through Narrative 87 5 National Violence and Male Crisis Discourse in Yvonne Vera’s The Stone Virgins 107 6 Political Satire in Tess Onwueme’s Play No Vacancy 123 III: Reflections on Islam, Identity, and Gender 137 7 Islam, Gender, and Identity in Leila Abouzeid’s The Last Chapter 139 8 Strategies of Representation and Post/colonial Identity in Farida Benlyazid’s Door to the Sky and Moufida Tlatli’s Silences of the Palace 155 9 Islam, Youth, and the Global 173 IV: Internet Discourse and Women as Agents of Change 185 10 Debating Islam, Gender, and the Arab Spring 187 Conclusion 201 Bibliography 207 Index 223 About the Author 231 African Pasts, Presents, and Futures: Generational Shifts in African Women's Literature, Film, and Internet Discourse, by Touria Khannous, critically reevaluates assumptions in liberal feminist theory, which has examined African women primarily in terms of their object status rather than as agents effecting change. By analyzing forces of marginalization, subordination and empowerment, the book carves out arenas for African women within feminist theory and creates spaces for the recognition of their place in national and global politics.