The Politics of Assimilation and the Evolution of the Novel in Senegal

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Periodical article

Title:	The Politics of Assimilation and the Evolution of the Novel in Senegal
Author:	Madubuike, Ihechukwu
Year:	1975
Periodical:	African Studies Review
Volume:	18
Issue:	2
Period:	September
Pages:	89-99
Language:	English
Geographic term:	Senegal
Subjects:	novels colonial policy acculturation Peoples of Africa (Ethnic Groups) Politics and Government Literature, Mass Media and the Press
External link:	https://www.jstor.org/stable/523453
Abstract:	The novel in Senegal has evolved through three phases, in each of which novelists were influenced by the prevailing attitudes towards the French colonial policy of assimilation. Between 1910 and 1930, Senegalese writers were strongly influenced by their acceptance of the French value system manifested assimilationist tendencies. Between 1930 and 1960s, elements of the school of thought which emphasized the validity of African culture were dominant in Senegalese writing. Towards the end of this period, however, there emerged a literature which was more political in content; it placed less emphasis on the originality of African culture and more stress on the exploitation of the African masses. This essay focuses on the major novels. Notes; ref.