ABSTRACT

Recent years have seen an increasing number of non-professional readers contribute to the online conversation about African literary texts. While this is evidence of a healthy democratisation of the field, it also raises questions about the impact that this online criticism has upon the academic field of African literary studies. How exactly are scholars of African literature to engage with this opportunity to open up the field to new voices while also retaining the specificity of academic reading and scholarly practice? With these issues in mind, this essay considers the work of Ikhide R. Ikheloa, one of the most visible online critics of African literature. Through an analysis of Ikheloa’s critical practice and his self-presentation as a “reader” (rather than a critic) of literature, the essay argues for a mode of engagement with online criticism that, while sensitive to its particular status as distinct from formal academic scholarship, also understands it as an opportunity to develop and expand the field of study. The essay concludes by considering how questions of social class and language also bear upon scholars’ engagement with online criticism of African literatures.

摘要

近年来，越来越多的非专业读者参与了有关非洲文学文本的在线对话。虽然这是该领域健康民主化的证据，但它也引发了关于这种在线批评对非洲文学研究学术领域的影响的问题。非洲文学学者究竟如何利用这个机会向新的声音开放这个领域，同时又保持学术阅读和学术实践的特殊性？考虑到这些问题，本文考虑了 Ikhide R. Ikheloa 的作品，他是最引人注目的非洲文学在线评论家之一。通过对 Ikheloa 的批判实践和他作为文学“读者”（而不是评论家）的自我表现的分析，这篇文章主张采用一种参与在线批评的模式，这种模式虽然对其与正式学术奖学金不同的特殊地位很敏感，但也将其理解为发展和扩大研究领域的机会。这篇文章最后考虑了社会阶层和语言的问题如何影响学者对非洲文学的在线批评。