LabCLIP’s Conversas entre Pares discuss the criticism of African literatures

On 15 December, the first session of Conversas entre Pares took place, an initiative of the Post-Study Laboratory of the Intercultural Community of the Portuguese Language (LabCLIP), integrated within CICANT. The meeting was held in person in the CICANT room at Lusófona University - Porto University Centre and also took place online, enabling the participation of researchers and students from different academic and geographical contexts.

Conversas entre Pares LabCLIP aims to create a space for dialogue, debate and sharing among researchers, students, artists and other professionals interested in Portuguese-language cultures, through the presentation of ongoing research projects. The inaugural session was entitled “Social reflection in the emergence of criticism of African literatures in the Portuguese language” and featured Professor and researcher Ubiratã Souza, from the University of São Paulo (USP), whose work has focused primarily on African literatures in the Portuguese language.

In his opening remarks, Ubiratã Souza presented the central axes of the research project he currently coordinates, proposing a theoretical and historical reflection on the genealogy of literary criticism of African literatures in the Portuguese language. The researcher problematised the construction of an idea of “Africa” within critical discourse, highlighting its often exogenous character and the effects of this construction on the reading and interpretation of literary works.

Throughout the presentation, different moments and strands of literary criticism were addressed, ranging from the 1940s and 1950s, to the ideological tensions between anti-colonial readings, perspectives aligned with the ideals of the Estado Novo, and formalist approaches. The researcher also analysed the role of significant figures and editorial projects, as well as the impact of African independences on the consolidation of nationally oriented literary canons, drawing attention to texts and authors that were left on the margins of these dominant narratives.

Following the presentation, a debate session took place in which in-person and online participants were able to ask questions, comment on the ideas presented and establish points of contact with their own areas of research and artistic creation. This moment allowed for a deeper discussion of the critical assumptions associated with African literatures and reflection on the diversity of literary practices that challenge stereotyped or homogeneous readings.

The session thus marked the beginning of a cycle of meetings that aims to strengthen interdisciplinary exchange and contribute to a more plural and critical understanding of Portuguese-language cultures, reinforcing the role of LabCLIP and CICANT as spaces for the production and circulation of knowledge open to the academic and artistic community.

Text
Bruna Pereira

Video
Lara Sousa