Contemporary Francophone “Afropean” Writers: From Francophonie to the banlieue

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A lecture about contemporary Francophone “Afropean” writers with guest speaker Dr Christopher Hogarth (University of South Australia) as part of the Borders and Bodies research theme at the School. Followed by a wine reception in the foyer between 16:00 - 17:00.

Abstract

The term ‘Afropean’ could be considered as another neologism in a world where multiple belonging has become a fashion. Coined by the well-travelled American musician David Byrne (Thomas and Hitchcott, 2014: 3), it has Francophone Cameroonian novelist Léonora Miano as its leading voice, Meanwhile, in France, the notion of multiple or hyphenated identities is rarely discussed, and the notion of ‘postcolonial’ has only recently come to the fore after efforts by scholars such as Jean-Marc Moura.

In this presentation, Dr Christopher Hogarth will examine a selection of authors whom he groups into two categories, Francophone Afropeans, and post-migratory Afropeans. He will first outline aspects of the works and careers of post-migratory postcolonial minorities of African heritage who were born and raised in France or Francophone Europe. He will then compare the careers and predominant themes in their works to a second set of Afropean authors. Specifically, he will investigate the role of geography in both the fictional work and careers of a selection of contemporary Francophone African authors with closer links to the US who might be better described as ‘Afropolitans’. In so doing, he hopes to nuance the term ‘Afropean’ to include the considerable influence of continents beyond the binary of Africa and Europe, whilst also showing the limits of the label as it has been popularized, as it restricts certain references just as it emphasizes others.

Biography

Christopher Hogarth is a Lecturer at the University of South Australia, where he teaches all levels Literature. His research focuses particularly on the intersections between Francophone and Italophone African and European literature. He has published and edited several articles and seven volumes on topics surrounding migration in Australian, Francophone and Italian literature, focusing especially on writers such as Fatou Diome, Igiaba Scego, Abasse Ndione and Ken Bugul.

Simultaneous Translation

The event will be delivered in the medium of English. You are welcome to ask questions in the medium of Welsh during the QandA session. If you intend to do this, please contact mlang-events@cardiff.ac.uk by Wednesday 7 November to request simultaneous translation. Please note that 10% or more of those planning to attend will need to request this provision in order for it to be sourced and will be subject to resource availability.