Introduction: Longevity and Critical Legitimacy: the So-Called Literary Tradition vs. the Actual Cultural Network

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Osborne, Deirdre. 2009. Introduction: Longevity and Critical Legitimacy: the So-Called Literary Tradition vs. the Actual Cultural Network. Women: A Cultural Review, 20(3), pp. 239-249. ISSN 0957-4042 [Article]

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Official URL: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/09574...

Abstract or Description

This essay highlights the intricate set of debates circulating around Black British writing, and especially writing by women. It negotiates the problematics of ‘self-terming’ (Heidi Safia Mirza) in relation to how writers might position themselves (and be positioned socio-culturally), and alludes to the national and international perception of their writing within contemporary British culture. The essay’s descriptor ‘Black British Women’s Writing’ is intended to suggest a scope, for ease of reference to a body of work in a context of literary history, rather than impose racially-gendered restrictions upon complex possible identities and self-terming. It draws attention to the impediments to visibility still faced in relation to canon formation, the legacy of feminisms, identity politics, and the status of difference, but above all operates from an assumption that the work celebrated is at the heart of contemporary British literature and drama, creating a distinctive contemporary aesthetics.

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Article

Identification Number (DOI):

https://doi.org/10.1080/09574040903285685