230564 Narrating and Representing Enslavement in Literature, Film, Music (S) (SoSe 2024)

Slave narratives have by now become a central form of African American memory. The genre, which is held as the origin of African American autobiography, grew out of the personal accounts by enslaved and formerly enslaved Africans. In the British colonies and later the United States, in Canada and the Caribbean during the 18th and 19th centuries, these “impossible witnesses” (Dwight McBride) were dedicated to the political aim to contribute to the abolition of slavery. Musical practices and oral storytelling provided a further form of resistance to enslavement. Since the mid-20th century, so-called neo-slave narratives delineate the experiences that are absent in the original texts.More recently, films such as "Amistad", "12 Years a Slave" or "Django Unchained" have broadened the interest in the memory and legacy of enslavement, which also more and more museums and monuments are dedicated to.
We read and discuss a selection of original slave narratives simultaneously as a mode of memory, knowledge production and resistance. Moreover, we will look at other genres and forms of representation such as films, music and neo-slave narratives. Students will be introduced to the complex history of enslavement and the conflict-laden discourses over its representation and memory which are key for contextualizing current struggles over representation, reparation and racism.