Memories of Violence in Peru and the Congo: Writing on the Brink

The book explores the concept and reality of violence beyond its most obvious manifestations, demonstrating how in the colonial contexts of Peru and the Congo, violence was a function of (post)colonial power dynamics and deeply engrained socio-political, economic, and cultural ordering and othering. It will be of interest to scholars working on how violence is explored and represented in literature and other art forms.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 226 pages
Publication date: 25 September 2023
Publisher: Taylor & Francis Ltd

The book delves into an intertextual and comparative analysis of memories of violence in Peruvian and Congolese literature, exploring the ethical and aesthetic responses to similar historical experiences between Latin America and Africa. Through a comprehensive examination of a range of novels that offer insightful representations of violence in their respective historical contexts, the author argues that these shared historical narratives foster trans-continental critical dialogues in comparative literary studies.

Similar to how the drama of the Congo has become a symbolic open wound of (post)colonial dispensation in Africa, Spanish conquest in Latin America also created spaces where the legacy of colonialism is strongly visible and memorable, providing fertile ground for the reproduction of violence. This book goes beyond the surface manifestations of violence, demonstrating how it was a function of (post)colonial power dynamics and deeply ingrained socio-political, economic, and cultural ordering and othering.

Drawing from a diverse range of theoretical perspectives, including John Galtung, Michel Foucault, Immanuel Wallerstein, Anibal Quijano, Frantz Fanon, Achille Mbembe, Eboussi Boulaga, Pierre Nora, Susan Sontag, Stevan Weine, Cathy Caruth, and Nelson Maldonado-Torres, the work considers and re-examines the contributions of these authors to our understanding of violence.

This book will be of immense interest to scholars engaged in the exploration and representation of violence in literature and other art forms. It offers valuable insights into the complex dynamics of power, history, and culture that shape the narratives of violence and contributes to our broader understanding of the world.

Weight: 453g
Dimension: 234 x 156 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780367745042