Literary Landscapes of Slavery and Freedom

The story of the African Diaspora in the Americas is circumscribed by the Transatlantic slave trade. This course will look at the stories of slavery and its aftermaths across the Americas, paying attention to the journeys taken, by force or by choice, within and across countries, oceans, seas, and continents. We will also take into account journeys that enabled formerly enslaved people and their descendants to resist the totalizing trauma of slavery and imagine a different life for themselves and their families. We will begin with the classic slave narrative, which traces the journey from bondage to freedom. We will then turn to contemporary novels, poetry, and essays that illustrate both the physical and psychic consequences of slavery as well as the power of community and the power of imagination to create healing spaces, out of which new stories can emerge. To deepen our readings of the literary works, we will also read recent scholarship that explores the global resonance of the afterlives of slavery.