Overview

The rapid global spread of populism has become an arresting and often disturbing phenomenon in the opening decades of the twenty-first century. This collection of essays explores the complex histories and diverse geographies of populist activity, examining its manifestations on both the political left and the right while tracing its dangerous association with nativism, racism and xenophobia. Established socio-political theories are questioned and challenged, giving way to fresh philosophical or cultural perspectives. At the heart of this collection lies a concern with the capacity of the humanities – and especially literary studies – to interpret, evaluate and intervene in this populist moment. Literary discussion ranges from Henry James and William Faulkner to Toni Morrison, David Foster Wallace, Ali Smith and Ta-Nehisi Coates. These essays demonstrate the pertinence and value of enquiries from multiple perspectives if we are to come to terms with the impact of populist rhetoric on meaning and truth, as proliferating misinformation unmoors conceptual and ethical coherence. The chapters in this book were originally published in Safundi: The Journal of South African and American Studies and English Studies in Africa.

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9780367715632

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Merle A. Williams is Professor Emerita of English and a Research Associate of the African Centre for the Study of the United States at the University of the Witwatersrand in Johannesburg. She is the author of Henry James and the Philosophical Novel: Being and Seeing (reprinted in 2009) and has completed a scholarly text of The Awkward Age for The Cambridge Edition of the Complete Fiction of Henry James. Other edited volumes include Hospitalities: Transitions and Transgressions, North and South (Routledge, 2020) and several recent journal issues.

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