| Continental Drift: From National Characters to Virtual Subjects Contributor(s): Apter, Emily (Author) |
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ISBN: 0226023508 ISBN-13: 9780226023502 Publisher: University of Chicago Press OUR PRICE: $39.60 Product Type: Paperback Published: June 1999 Annotation: From xenophobic appropriations of Joan of Arc to Afro-futurism and cyberpunk, the "national" characters of the colonial era often seem to be dissolving into postnational and virtual subjects. In "Continental Drift, " Emily Apter deftly analyzes the French colonial and postcolonial experience as a case study in the erosion of belief in national destiny and the emergence of technologically mediated citizenship. Among the many topics Apter explores are the fate of national literatures in an increasingly transnational literary climate; the volatile stakes of Albert Camus's life and reputation against the backdrop of Algerian civil strife; the use of literary and theatrical productions to "script" national character for the colonies; belly-dancing and aesthetic theory; and the impact of new media on colonial and postcolonial representation, from tourist photography to the videos of Digital Diaspora. "Continental Drift" advances debates not just in postcolonial studies, but also in gender, identity, and cultural studies; ethnography; psychoanalysis; and performance studies. |
| Additional Information |
| BISAC Categories: - Literary Criticism | African |
| Dewey: 944.083 |
| LCCN: 98-46153 |
| Physical Information: 0.87" H x 6.04" W x 9.05" (0.95 lbs) 302 pages |
| Themes: - Chronological Period - 20th Century - Cultural Region - French - Cultural Region - North Africa - Ethnic Orientation - African |
| Descriptions, Reviews, Etc. |
| Publisher Description: From xenophobic appropriations of Joan of Arc to Afro-futurism and cyberpunk, the national characters of the colonial era often seem to be dissolving into postnational and virtual subjects. In Continental Drift, Emily Apter deftly analyzes the French colonial and postcolonial experience as a case study in the erosion of belief in national destiny and the emergence of technologically mediated citizenship. Among the many topics Apter explores are the fate of national literatures in an increasingly transnational literary climate; the volatile stakes of Albert Camus's life and reputation against the backdrop of Algerian civil strife; the use of literary and theatrical productions to script national character for the colonies; belly-dancing and aesthetic theory; and the impact of new media on colonial and postcolonial representation, from tourist photography to the videos of Digital Diaspora. Continental Drift advances debates not just in postcolonial studies, but also in gender, identity, and cultural studies; ethnography; psychoanalysis; and performance studies. |