Out of Africa: East African Politics and Displaced Communities in the Novels of Abdulrazak Gurnah
Literature
Course Description
In his novels, Tanzanian-born British novelist Abdulrazak Gurnah is concerned with themes of exile, displacement, and belonging as related to colonialism, war, and emigration. Winner of the 2021 Nobel Prize for Literature, Gurnah was singled out for his compassionate representation of the refugee “in the gulf between cultures and continents.”
In this course, we will read three of his novels, all exploring these themes under different guises: Paradise (1994); By the Sea (2001) and Afterlives (2020). We will ask a variety of questions as we read: How are origin stories complicated by leaving one place and going to another? How is identity fractured by the empire-building of colonialism—and then by emigration? What situations are responsible for states of displacement? Is fighting for your conqueror an act of desertion? How do you retrieve your past without denying or negating your present—and your future?
To help frame some of these questions, we will turn to corollary texts such as Nancy Huston’s Losing North: Musings on Land, Tongue and Self and Anna Badkhen’s Bright Unbearable Reality: Essays.
Books to Purchase (will be available at Argo Bookshop during the weeks prior to the course beginning):
- Abdulrazak Gurnah, Afterlives, Bloomsbury (ISBN: 9781526615893)
- Abdulrazak Gurnah, Paradise, New Press (ISBN: 9781565841635)
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Abdulrazak Gurnah, By The Sea, Penguin (ISBN: 9780593541999)
Please note that this course has a maximum enrollment of 16 students and that TMI does not allow participants to audit courses for free.
Course Details
Location: Pointe-Claire
First Session: Monday, September 16th, 2024
Course Length: 12 weeks, Mondays, 1:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m.
Leaders: Munirah Amra, Mary Allen, Jennifer MacGregor
Course Fee:
$100.00 (New Students)
$160.00 (Standard Tuition)
Administrative Fee:
$40.00
Total:
$140.00 (New Students)
$200.00 (Standard Tuition)
Course fees are refundable in full before the second session. After the second session, a fee of $50 for the withdrawal will be applied. Refunds will not be issued after the third session. Please note that non-attendance does not constitute a withdrawal.
Students pursuing studies for credit are encouraged to consult with their advisers as they register for courses.
Course leaders, and students wishing to use credit vouchers, should call (514) 935-9585 to pay by phone or to schedule an appointment to pay in person.