ENGL 267 Afro-Surrealism
Most students are aware of Andre Breton's Parisian circle of surrealists, who have become synonymous with intellectual and artistic experimentation, combined with political engagement. Fewer realized that surrealist aesthetic techniques were being practiced at the exact same time within the Black Diaspora, among its Francophone, Anglophone, and Hispanophone speakers. Surrealism attracted artists, intellectuals, and activists from so many different cultures because it surpassed previous avant-garde art movements in linking creativity to a critique of colonialism. It is not surprising that surrealism found a special expression in the African Diaspora.
However, the sheer breath of African Diaspora artists taking up surrealist techniques and themes is staggering. This course serves as an exploration of Afrosurrealist expression. The course begins in the early 20th century with the first generation of writers to embrace the term surrealism, then moves to the mid-20th century. But the majority of the course looks at 21st century literature, music, and visual art. European artists who took anti-racism seriously will also be included along the way. Students will encounter the work of Aime and Suzanne Cesaire, Romare Bearden, Claude Cahun, David Hammons, Senga Nengudi, Wangechi Mutu, D.S. Marriott, Terrance Nance, and Tierra Whack, among others.