African Literature in Portuguese
A.Y. 2023/2024
Learning objectives
This course aims to provide students with a general understanding of historical, political and literary evolution of luphone african cultures. An introduction to formation («formação») of african national literatures in portuguese is offered, with a specific attention to complex colonial and political history. An introduction will be given to the historical study of Africa and to the theoretical problems related with the analysis of postcolonial literatures in portuguese.
Expected learning outcomes
Knowledge and understanding: outline of african history and of portuguese colonialism in Africa; formation of african colonies, development of national literatures , main authors and literary movements from Colonial Literature to the postcolonial contemporary era with a specific attention to Angola, Cap-Vert and Mozambique; fundamental elements of history of ideas and conceptual history that help analyze the societies and cultures of these countries. Applying knowledge and understanding: ability to read and contextualize some paradigmatic works of african thought and postcolonial literatures in portuguese; understanding of historic, cultural, and social implications of literary texts; ability to place authors, movements and works in their context; ability to analyze literary texts through the application of ideas and concepts borrowed from literary criticism, post-colonial theory, cultural studies and historiography.
Lesson period: Second semester
Assessment methods: Esame
Assessment result: voto verbalizzato in trentesimi
Single course
This course cannot be attended as a single course. Please check our list of single courses to find the ones available for enrolment.
Course syllabus and organization
Single session
Responsible
Lesson period
Second semester
Course syllabus
The course is entitled: The memory of independence in Portuguese-speaking African cultures: anti-colonialist thought and literature.
Three teaching units:
A: Historical context: Africa from Third World to Indipendance
B: Pan-africanism, negritude and anti-colonialism between Europe and Africa
C: A canon of classics of Lusophone African literatures: Pepetela, Mia Couto e Agualusa.
The course provides 9 or 6 credits.
In unit A we will study the indipendance process of some African States subject of portuguese colonialism during the Decolonization Era. In Unit B, the formation of antic-colonialism between Africa and Europe, in particular in Italy. In Unit C, we will study some literary works that reconfigure the memories of the liberation struggles.
The course program is valid until September 2025. From the summer session 2021 it will be possible to present exclusively 21 he A.A. 2022-23 program.
Three teaching units:
A: Historical context: Africa from Third World to Indipendance
B: Pan-africanism, negritude and anti-colonialism between Europe and Africa
C: A canon of classics of Lusophone African literatures: Pepetela, Mia Couto e Agualusa.
The course provides 9 or 6 credits.
In unit A we will study the indipendance process of some African States subject of portuguese colonialism during the Decolonization Era. In Unit B, the formation of antic-colonialism between Africa and Europe, in particular in Italy. In Unit C, we will study some literary works that reconfigure the memories of the liberation struggles.
The course program is valid until September 2025. From the summer session 2021 it will be possible to present exclusively 21 he A.A. 2022-23 program.
Prerequisites for admission
The course is held in Italian and there is no prerequisite.
The course is held in the second Semester (February 2024)
The course is held in the second Semester (February 2024)
Teaching methods
The course adopts the following teaching methods: lectures, practical activities, presentations.
Teaching Resources
he course has a site on the online platform Ariel (https:// https://vrussolp123.ariel.ctu.unimi.it/), to which reference is made for lecture notes and other materials provided by the teacher. For each teaching unit, specific critical essays on individual works or on general questions will be made available on the site. The following are the mandatory reading materials for the various teaching units.
Examination program for attending students:
Unità A
Viva l'indipendenza. La fine dei grandi imperi coloniali nella stampa internazionale dell'epoca, Internazionale Storia, Luglio 2022.
a) «Tre mondi e un pianeta» di Alfred Sauvy
b) «Il mondo dopo Bandung» di Maxim Fackler
c) «Ritratto del colonizzato» di Alfred Memmi
d) «Le formidabili cecità dei francesi» di Jean-Paul Sartre
e) «La guerra d'Algeria e la liberazione umana» di Franz Fanon
f) «I mercenari dell'impero» di Basil Davidson
g) «Anatomia di una lotta» Aquino de Bragança
Unità B
V. Russo, La Resistenza continua. Colonialismo portoghese, lotte di liberazione e gli intellettuali italiani, Meltemi, Milano, 2020.
Amilcar Cabral, Per una rivoluzione africana. Il ruolo della cultura nella lotta per l'indipendenza, a cura di Livia Apa, Ombre Corte, Verona, 2019.
Unità C
Pepetela, La Generazione dell'Utopia, a cura di V. Russo e R. Vecchi, con prefazione di Romano Prodi, Diabasis, Reggio Emilia, 2009.
Mia Couto, Vinteezinco, Caminho, Lisboa, 1999.
José Eduardo Agualusa, A Estação das chuvas, Quetzal, Lisboa, 2017 (1ª edição 2007).
Examination program for attending students:
Unità A
Viva l'indipendenza. La fine dei grandi imperi coloniali nella stampa internazionale dell'epoca, Internazionale Storia, Luglio 2022.
a) «Tre mondi e un pianeta» di Alfred Sauvy
b) «Il mondo dopo Bandung» di Maxim Fackler
c) «Ritratto del colonizzato» di Alfred Memmi
d) «Le formidabili cecità dei francesi» di Jean-Paul Sartre
e) «La guerra d'Algeria e la liberazione umana» di Franz Fanon
f) «I mercenari dell'impero» di Basil Davidson
g) «Anatomia di una lotta» Aquino de Bragança
Unità B
V. Russo, La Resistenza continua. Colonialismo portoghese, lotte di liberazione e gli intellettuali italiani, Meltemi, Milano, 2020.
Amilcar Cabral, Per una rivoluzione africana. Il ruolo della cultura nella lotta per l'indipendenza, a cura di Livia Apa, Ombre Corte, Verona, 2019.
Unità C
Pepetela, La Generazione dell'Utopia, a cura di V. Russo e R. Vecchi, con prefazione di Romano Prodi, Diabasis, Reggio Emilia, 2009.
Mia Couto, Vinteezinco, Caminho, Lisboa, 1999.
José Eduardo Agualusa, A Estação das chuvas, Quetzal, Lisboa, 2017 (1ª edição 2007).
Assessment methods and Criteria
The exam consists of an oral test with the teacher of the monographic course.
The oral exam with the teahcer of the course includes questions asked by the teacher and interactions between teacher and student. The exam takes place in Italian. The interview aims to verify the knowledge of the texts studied, the capacity for contextualization, the ability to expose, the precision in the use of specific terminology, the capacity for critical and personal reflection on the proposed themes.
All the results of the written tests will be announced on the Ariel page of the course.
The final grade is expressed in thirtieths, and the student has the right to refuse it.
International or Erasmus incoming students are invited to contact the teacher promptly. The examination procedures for students with disabilities and/or with DSA must be established with the teacher, in agreement with the competent Office.
The oral exam with the teahcer of the course includes questions asked by the teacher and interactions between teacher and student. The exam takes place in Italian. The interview aims to verify the knowledge of the texts studied, the capacity for contextualization, the ability to expose, the precision in the use of specific terminology, the capacity for critical and personal reflection on the proposed themes.
All the results of the written tests will be announced on the Ariel page of the course.
The final grade is expressed in thirtieths, and the student has the right to refuse it.
International or Erasmus incoming students are invited to contact the teacher promptly. The examination procedures for students with disabilities and/or with DSA must be established with the teacher, in agreement with the competent Office.
L-LIN/08 - PORTUGUESE AND BRAZILIAN LITERATURE - University credits: 9
Lessons: 60 hours
Professor:
Russo Vincenzo
Professor(s)