Cultural and Identity Politics

The history of African-American literature is undoubtedly connected with the history of slavery. It primarily protests against racial discrimination, marginalization and social injustice. At the beginning of the twentieth century, African-American writers faced a plethora of serious issues: race and class inequality; challenges to morality and religion; interrogations of nationalism and the continuing problem of how to achieve a truly African-American identity in the face of complicating diversity. The quest for a distinct African-American identity leads to the development of several recurring themes like rebirth and renewal, the self-made man, and the melting pot that have circulated in American literature since its inception. The African-Americans have occupied a paradoxical place of simultaneous inclusion and exclusion in the history of national literature. Although they are indeed Americans and have played a crucial role in building the United States into a world power, the legacy of slavery and the ongoing, systemic racism have excluded Americans of African descent from the existing definitions and privileges of the American self.

Autorentext

Dr.Shaju Ouseph obtained Ph.D in 2008 and working currently as an Associate Professor and FLS Coordinator at Arab Open University.He is actively engaged in institutional and individual research.His research interests also include ICT in ELT,Language acquisition, Blended Learning,and TELL.He has presented several papers at international conferences.