Name: Debating World Literature
SKU: 1671857
Price: 37.06 EUR
Availability: InStock
Author: Prendergast, Christopher ; Anderson, Benedict ; Apter, Emily
ISBN: 9781859844588

Type

Physical Book

Contributions by

Benedict Anderson

Emily Apter

Illustrated by

Christopher Prendergast

Publisher

Verso

Author

Prendergast, Christopher ; Anderson, Benedict ; Apter, Emily

Year

2004

Language

English

Pages

288

Format

Paperback

Dimensions

21.4x13.7x2.8 cm

Weight

0.44 kg.

ISBN

1859844588

ISBN13

9781859844588

Synopsis "Debating World Literature "

In the continuing debates about the cultural dimensions of globalization, the question of 'literature' has been something of a poor relation. This volume seeks to redress the balance. It takes as its starting point Goethe's idea of Weltliteratur, from which it then travels out to various parts of the globe at different historical junctures. Among its many concerns are the legacies of Goethe's idea, variable understandings of the term 'literature' itself, cross-cultural encounters, the nature of 'small literatures', and the cultural politics of literary genres. With contributions from many of the leading voices in the field, Debating World Literature seeks to transcend the pieties and simplifications of polemic in a search for the complexity embodied in the linking of the two terms 'world' and 'literature'.

Benedict Anderson

(Contributions by)

View Author's Page

Benedict Anderson (Kunming, China, August 26, 1936 – Malang, Indonesia, December 13, 2015) was an American historian and political scientist whose name is fundamental in studies on modern nationalism. He gained international renown with his influential work Imagined Communities, where he proposed that nations are not natural or eternal entities, but social constructions formed through the press, shared language, and a collective memory. His concept of "imagined community" revolutionized the way nations are understood, highlighting how millions of people can feel part of the same group despite never meeting.

Throughout his extensive academic career, Anderson specialized in Southeast Asia, focusing his approach on countries like Indonesia and the Philippines. He was distinguished by his interdisciplinary and critical perspective, which merged history, politics, sociology, and cultural studies to address collective identity and national construction. His legacy has been celebrated both in the Anglo-Saxon world and in Asia, inspiring new generations of researchers and fueling the debate on the nature and evolution of national identities.

Anderson's work and thought continue to be key in disciplines such as history, sociology, and political science. His innovative outlook and penetrating analysis remain relevant among academics, scholars, and readers interested in understanding the processes that underpin the formation of contemporary communities and nations.

See less