Department of English

This course will introduce students to Caribbean literature from the standpoint of women’s writing. Using as a touchstone two landmark collections of Caribbean women’s literature and criticism, Out of the Kumbla (1990) and Her True-True Name (1989), this course will examine: 

·       the history of Caribbean women’s writing as a field and its development during the last 30 years 

·       the themes and issues addressed by Caribbean women’s writing 

·       the theoretical contributions of Caribbean women scholars like Sylvia Wynter and M. NourbeSe Philip 

·       the major writers and thinkers in the field of Caribbean women’s writing, along with their scholarly and literary interlocutors throughout the African Diaspora 

The syllabus includes works by Dionne Brand, Suzanne Césaire, Maryse Condé, Simone Schwarz-Bart, Oonya Kempadoo, Katherine McKittrick, Zee Edgell,  Merle Collins, among others. The course will feature class visits by several contemporary writers. In consultation with the instructor, students will complete a semester-long project.