Confluences: Postcolonialism, African American Literary Studies, and the Black Atlantic Review

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(More customer reviews)The "Black Atlantic" referred to in the subtitle is Paul Gilroy's "pathbreaking book...engaging with philosophical, sociological, historical, political, as well as literary issues." The author Gruesser himself takes this approach to the interrelationships--the confluences--among postcolonial writings, African American literary works, and influences and literature in Africa and the Caribbean and their presence in other, mostly white, cultures. The term "black Atlantic" was used originally in the field of black art. Gruesser notes especially Gilroy's interest in "routes" more so than "roots." Gruesser--professor of English at New Jersey's Kean University--develops a panoramic comprehension of the different literary areas; which are typically studied in the light of different theories. But this author is interested in the experiences, sensibilities, and cultural and historical grounds drawing the different literature together. Writings by Salman Rushdie, Naipaul, Walter Mosley, Toni Morrison, and Alice Walker are among those assayed. Gruesser explores the bonds among this diverse group.

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Confluences looks at the prospects for and the potential rewards of breaking down theoretical and disciplinary barriers that have tended to separate African American and postcolonial studies. John Cullen Gruesser's study emphasizes the confluences among three major theories that have emerged in literary and cultural studies in the past twenty-five years: postcolonialism, Henry Louis Gates Jr.'s Signifyin(g), and Paul Gilroy's black Atlantic.
For readers who may not be well acquainted with one or more of the three theories, Gruesser provides concise introductions in the opening chapter. In addition, he urges those people working in postcolonial or African American literary studies to attempt to break down the boundaries that in recent years have come to isolate the two fields.Gruesser then devotes a chapter to each theory, examining one literary text that illustrates the value of the theoretical model, a second text that extends the model in a significant way, and a third text that raises one or more questions about the theory. His examples are drawn from the writings of Salman Rushdie, Jean Rhys, V. S. Naipaul, Walter Mosley, Pauline Hopkins, Toni Morrison, Harry Dean, Harriet Jacobs, and Alice Walker.
Cautious not to conflate postcolonial and African American studies, Gruesser encourages critics to embrace the black Atlantic's emphases on movement through space (routes rather than roots) and intercultural connections and to expand and where appropriate to emend Gilroy's efforts to bridge the two fields.

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