This book seeks to unfold the complexity within the works of Dambudzo Marechera and presents scholars and readers with a way of reading his works in light of utopian thinking. Writing during a traumatic transitional period in Zimbabwe's history, Marechera witnessed the upheavals caused by different parties battling for power in the nation. Aware of the fact that all institutionalized narratives - whether they originated from the colonial governance of the UK, Ian Smith's white minority regime, or Zimbabwe's revolutionary parties - appeal to visions of a utopian society but reveal themselves to be fiction, Marechera imagined a unique utopia. For Marechera, utopia is not a static entity but a moment of perpetual change. He rethinks utopia by phrasing it as an ongoing event that ceaselessly contests institutionalized narratives of the postcolonial self and its relationship to society. Marechera writes towards a vision of an alternative future for the country. Yet, it is a vision that does not constitute a fully rounded sense of utopia. Being cautious about the world and the operation of power upon the people, rather than imposing his own utopian ideals, Marechera chooses instead to destabilize the narrative constitution of the self in relation to society in order to turn towards a truly radical utopian thinking that empowers the individual.
| ISBN: | 9781032332482 |
| Publication date: | 27th May 2024 |
| Author: | Shun Man Emily ChowQuesada |
| Publisher: | Routledge an imprint of Taylor & Francis |
| Format: | Paperback |
| Pagination: | 210 pages |
| Series: | Literary Criticism and Cultural Theory |
| Genres: |
Literary studies: postcolonial literature Regional / International studies |
This book seeks to unfold the complexity within the works of Dambudzo Marechera and presents scholars and readers with a way of reading his works in light of utopian thinking. Writing during a traumatic transitional period in Zimbabwe's history, Marechera witnessed the upheavals caused by different parties battling for power in the nation. Aware of the fact that all institutionalized narratives - whether they originated from the colonial governance of the UK, Ian Smith's white minority regime, or Zimbabwe's revolutionary parties - appeal to visions of a utopian society but reveal themselves to be fiction, Marechera imagined a unique utopia. For Marechera, utopia is not a static entity but a moment of perpetual change. He rethinks utopia by phrasing it as an ongoing event that ceaselessly contests institutionalized narratives of the postcolonial self and its relationship to society. Marechera writes towards a vision of an alternative future for the country. Yet, it is a vision that does not constitute a fully rounded sense of utopia. Being cautious about the world and the operation of power upon the people, rather than imposing his own utopian ideals, Marechera chooses instead to destabilize the narrative constitution of the self in relation to society in order to turn towards a truly radical utopian thinking that empowers the individual.
The Zimbabwean Maverick features in the following genres: Literary studies: postcolonial literature, Regional / International studies
The Zimbabwean Maverick is available in Paperback, Hardback
The Zimbabwean Maverick was written by Shun Man Emily ChowQuesada and published by Routledge an imprint of Taylor & Francis
The Zimbabwean Maverick has 210 pages
Yes it is part of Literary Criticism and Cultural Theory series
£38.69