Call for Papers

The last 30 years, or so, signal a distinct period in southern Africa (after institutionalised apartheid) and, in 1989, globally (the fall of the Berlin Wall). If the starting date has a ‘neatness’, the 30-year period has rendered contentious phrases such as “the end of history” and (in South Africa) “the rainbow nation”. What of literature and its accompanying interpretation from 1990 to the present day? As we look back, how might we go forward? To quote Weimann, how do we relate past significance to current meaning? The title and subtitle of the journal, Current Writing: Text and Reception in Southern Africa, play deliberately on an openness of ambiguity. “Current” can refer to texts from the 30-year period or older texts that are re-interpreted from a current perspective. “Writing” suggests that works are not confined to any canonical definition of Literature. “Texts” can originate in southern Africa, or elsewhere, while “reception” in either case should seek comparative connections with ‘South’ concerns. Energy has been expended in segmenting the last 30 years into phases of anti-apartheid, postapartheid, the TRC, the Zuma presidency, ‘after Mugabe’, and so on. While such delineations can lend contextual precision to works, submissions must retain a literary focus. The single theme of both issues, “The Last Thirty Years” – it is hoped – will provoke ‘currency’ in text selection, interpretation, and debate.