Orality and the Writing Lesson: The Work of Vernacular Intellectuals

Setting off from Eileen Julien’s work on orality and the African novel, this essay takes the question of the relation between writing and oral expressions a step further by exploring how, in the hands of “vernacular” intellectuals, the oral became inseparable from writing. Writing enabled orality to...

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Published in:Research in African literatures Vol. 55; no. 3; pp. 38 - 49
Main Author: Gikandi, Simon
Format: Journal Article
Language:English
Published: Bloomington Indiana University Press 22.09.2025
Subjects:
African literature
Alienation
Colonialism
Cultural heritage
Culture
Decolonization
History
Intellectuals
Irele, Abiola (1936-2017)
Literacy
Literary history
Novels
Oral tradition
Public sphere
Social aspects
Spoken written language relationship
Traditions
Writing
Africa
ISSN:0034-5210, 1527-2044, 1527-2044
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Abstract Setting off from Eileen Julien’s work on orality and the African novel, this essay takes the question of the relation between writing and oral expressions a step further by exploring how, in the hands of “vernacular” intellectuals, the oral became inseparable from writing. Writing enabled orality to enter the colonial public sphere; conversely, writing needed orality to assert its Africanness.
AbstractList Setting off from Eileen Julien's work on orality and the African novel, this essay takes the question of the relation between writing and oral expressions a step further by exploring how, in the hands of "vernacular" intellectuals, the oral became inseparable from writing. Writing enabled orality to enter the colonial public sphere; conversely, writing needed orality to assert its Africanness.
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Author Gikandi, Simon
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Snippet Setting off from Eileen Julien’s work on orality and the African novel, this essay takes the question of the relation between writing and oral expressions a...
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SubjectTerms African literature
Alienation
Colonialism
Cultural heritage
Culture
Decolonization
History
Intellectuals
Irele, Abiola (1936-2017)
Literacy
Literary history
Novels
Oral tradition
Public sphere
Social aspects
Spoken written language relationship
Traditions
Writing
Title Orality and the Writing Lesson: The Work of Vernacular Intellectuals
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