Writing & Speaking from the Heart of My - Softcover

Micere Githae Mugo

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1592218547 ISBN 13: 9781592218547

Publisher: Africa World Press, 2012

Synopsis

In this collection of essays and speeches, M cere G thae M go tackles a variety of fascinating themes that traverse several fields of academic engagement, bringing the pieces together into a single volume. The collection thus makes M go s work more readily accessible to her readers. The book is divided into four parts under headings that roughly group them according to areas of study as well as thematic concerns. Part I is entitled Autobiographical Touches using a Black Feminist Brush and contains writing that deals with experiences that reveal who the author is while providing some of the contextual background that has shaped her intellectual and imaginative work. Part II, Orature, Literature and Creativity through a Black Feminist Lens, groups together pieces on literature and orature. In these essays the author demonstrates that orature and literature are complimentary art forms that deserve equal recognition and treatment even though, individually, they are uniquely different. The chapters in Part III of the book fall under the title: Culture, Class, Gender, Pan Africanism and Human Development and consist of essays that mostly expound culture in Africa as a central theme. However, the final essay entitled, Re-envisioning Pan Africanism: What are the Roles of Gender, Youth and the Masses? broadens the focus from Africa to address the larger political-cultural scene of Pan Africanism. Part IV of the collection, Democracy, Empowerment and Construction of New Sites of Knowledge, features essays and speeches that point to possibilities, suggest alternatives and propose the way forward in tackling situations that stand in the way of genuine human development, especially in Africa. A recurring argument is that if scholars are serious about seeking possible answers to problems that affect the African masses, their work must, among other imperatives, engage Africa s indigenous knowledge systems. Most of the essays in this collection highlight women as indispensable resources in society and a major driving force in every aspect of human development. The essays advocate more than just women s inclusion in this historical process, reiterating the absolute need for their full participation, representation and empowerment in all areas of life.

About this title

About the Author:

M cere G thae M go, Meredith Professor for Teaching Excellence; past Chair of the Department of African American Studies; past Director of the Africa Initiative and past Director of Graduate Studies in AAS at SU, is a poet, playwright and literary critic who has published 6 books, 8 co-edited supplementary school readers, 3 monographs and edited the journal, Third World in Perspective. M cere is a recipient of numerous awards, including the Distinguished Africanist Award from the New York African Studies Association for her contribution to scholarship. In November 2002, The East African Standard Century listed her among The Top 100: They Influenced Kenya Most During the 20th Century. She has been an activist most of her life.

About this edition

• Publisher: Africa World Press
• Publication date: 2012
• ISBN 10: 1592218547
• ISBN 13: 9781592218547
• Binding: Paperback
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 310