Chinua Achebe and the Igbo-African World: Between Fiction, Fact, and Historical Representation explores Chinua Achebe's literary works and how they communicated the Igbo-African world to readers. Engaging in the politics of representation, Achebe sought to demystify deterministic views of race and cultural ethnocentrism. While his books and commentaries have been very influential in shaping a unique and multifaceted view of the African world, some scholars have challenged Achebe's representations of historical reality. Through in-depth analyses of his writing, contributors examine the interpretations Achebe imposed on African culture and history in his texts. The chapters cover Achebe's engagement with critical issues like historical representation, gender relations, and indigenous political institutions in a changing society. Throughout, contributors present new ways for understanding Achebe's literary works and show how his work draws from African historical reality and identity while challenging Western epistemological hegemony.
Chima J. Korieh is professor of African History at Marquette University. Ijeoma C. Nwajiaku teaches English and African literature in the Languages Department of Federal Polytechnic, Oko, Nigeria.
Introduction: Chinua Achebe, Writing Culture, and the Politics of Representations Chima J. Korieh and Ijeoma C. Nwajiaku Part I. Chinua Achebe and Igbo-African Realities Chapter 1: Causality in Selected Cultural Novels by Chinua Achebe: Perspectives in Igbo Metaphysics B. E. Nwigwe Chapter 2: (Re)Discovering the Igbo Oral Tradition in Chinua Achebe's Things Fall Apart and Anthills of the Savannah Alassane Abdoulaye Dia Chapter 3: Symbols and Images in Chinua Achebe's Things Fall Apart Nureni Oyewole Fadare Chapter 4: Igbo Communal Ethos: A Reading of Chinua Achebe's Things Fall Apart &Arrow of God Ijeoma Nwajiaku Chapter 5: Things Fall Apart and Igbo Leadership: Learning and Unlearning the Lessons of Okonkwo's Life N. Tony Nwaezeigwe Chapter 6: Achebe and the Pedagogy of Indigenous Knowledge Systems: Gleanings from Arrow of God Ijeoma C. Nwajiaku Part II: Chinua Achebe and Politics of Representation Chapter 7: Chinua Achebe's "'Chi' in Igbo Cosmology": Revisiting a Classic Chijioke Azuawusiefe Chapter 8: Discourse, Imagination, and Models of Resistance: Re-reading Arrow of God Ifi Amaduime Chapter 9: The Collision of Asymmetric Civilizations-A Reading of Things Fall Apart Ihechukwu C. Madubuike Chapter 10: (Re)Memorising Igbo Traditions in Achebe's Arrow of God: A Psychoanalytical Study Linda Jummai Mustafa Part III: Achebe, History, and the National Question Chapter 11: Telling Africa's Story: Chinua Achebe and the Power of Narratives Chijioke Azuawusiefe Chapter 12: Narrativizing History: Chinua Achebe and the Politics of Interpretation Anwesha Das Chapter 13: Achebeism and the Nigerian Leadership Problem Ada Uzoamaka Azodo Chapter 14: Chinua Achebe as a Voice of Reason on the Nigerian Crisis: A Historical Look at the Larger Picture Odigwe A. Nwaokocha Chapter 15: Chinua Achebe and the National Question Bernard Steiner Ifekwe
