Title of Presentation

"Gender and Representation in Postcolonial Literature and Culture"

Location

Cape Peninsula University of Technology, Cape Town, South Africa

Purpose

Is Pregs Govender’s Love and Courage a postcolonial autobiography? And if so, can one pin down her style of writing as either western or non-western? Is she writing a “communography” as Rajendra Chetty argues about Phyllis Naidoo’s text? Or, does her style of writing about communal identity and social justice issues highlights Ubuntu, Niti and Nyaya (Amartya Sen), or a hybridized version all her own? In my discussion of Love and Courage, I will draw on Govender’s colonial and postcolonial historical and cultural backgrounds as well as her actual behavioral patterns working for social justice as highlighted within certain narratives moments (in her book); how does one read her particular style of writing which involves social justice work where she resist the institutionalizing of oppressive patriarchal and political power structures which result in “severe injustices” (Sen 21) for the citizens of a democratic nation-state?

Document Type

Other Presentation

Department

English

Date

Summer 7-1-2015

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