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Chapter 16 - Valleys of Strife

Geology as Archive in African Literature

from Part III - Maps

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  31 October 2025

James Ogude
Affiliation:
University of Pretoria
Neil ten Kortenaar
Affiliation:
University of Toronto
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Summary

The geologic as an archive foments the naturalization of human conflict in African literature. African literature makes certain relations a natural property of the geological character of the land. It makes it impossible to think of social and political alterations without reflecting violent eruptions. Geological structures not only are presented as arenas for human activities but naturalize human perception and anti-colonial conflict mirrored through landscapes, which in turn become caches of resilient memories, rallying points for the imagination of new futures and struggles, and prompts and symbols of new archives. In the texts selected for study, geological metaphors allow a writer such as Geoffrey Ndhlala to locate individuals and societies in terms of larger patterns, such as strangers and hosts, and to relativize them. A contrast is also established between sedentary valley people, such as in The River Between, whose horizons are dangerously restricted, and walkers and travelers, such as in Cry, the Beloved Country and Long Walk to Freedom, who achieve a larger picture. These contrasts and comparisons are not meant to be exhaustive but are illustrative of how the geologic is deployed as shared politics and archives.

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Chapter
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African Literature in Transition
The Archive of African Literature, 1800–2000
, pp. 251 - 265
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2025

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References

Works Cited

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