| ISBN | 9789956791538 |
| Pages | 274 |
| Dimensions | 229 x 152 mm |
| Published | 2013 |
| Publisher | Langaa RPCIG, Cameroon |
| Format | Paperback |
Fears, Doubts and Joys of Not Belonging
edited by Benjamin Hart Fishkin, Bill F. Ndi, Adaku T. Ankumah
This book is an opportune warning that alienation, estrangement and intentional diminishment serve as a cancer upon those who disburse it. The outsider suffers by being alone; the insider suffers even more by being forever known as a hypocrite who perpetuates dystopia. It uses literature as a hothouse for poisonous potted plants, the workings of a mind in turmoil and the exploration of a society or societies that seems to derive pleasure from others' ruin. Fears, Doubts, and Joy of Not Belonging considers themes that are biblical in scope from different societies and historical epochs. It is a sobering spiritual enlightenment of a child's "silent treatment" in adult form. The text complements language engineers and social scientists who are on a quest or search for how the individual responds to pressure that is unexpected, ill-conceived and in desperate need of alleviation. Not only does this particular type of cancer differ from the type a surgeon can treat, the stage at which this malady is diagnosed causes far more problems than if it were dealt with head on. Pursuing numerous examples of estrangement, this diverse text delves into a wide spectrum of human behavior while coming to the realization that these problems are universal and have been with us for a long, long time. The purpose of resistance, individuality and personal identity is to rise above these obstacles without losing hope, resilience or optimism.
Reviews
“This book examines variations of imposed and self-imposed alienation. […] The rich historiography of estrangement explored, demonstrates the universality, timelessness, and varieties of alienation. […] Alienation can be transformed from a lock into a key to open the collective Global African in us all. Fears, Doubts and Joys of not Belonging moves forward that recent scientific discovery.”
“The essays in this volume re-fashion the recurrent motif of alienation from a multiplicity of perspectives. The critiques bring well-deserved attention to writers, outside of the mainstream, whose writings often explore the fundamentally alienating conditions; most especially those of contemporary existence such as Emmanuel Fru Doh, Francis B. Nyamnjoh and John N. Nkengasong.”
About the Editors
Dr Benjamin Hart Fishkin is an Assistant Professor of English at Tuskegee University. He has won several distinguished awards, amongst which, the Buford Boone Memorial Fellowship, the Oregon Shakespeare Festival Scholarship Award and the George Mills Harper Graduate Student Travel Award.
Dr. Bill F. Ndi, poet, playwright, storyteller, critic, translator & Fellow of The Booker T. Washington Leadership Institute is an American-Southern Cameroonian who was educated at GBHS Bamenda & Essos, the University of Yaoundé, Nigeria: ABSU, Paris: ISIT, the Sorbonne, Paris VIII & Cergy-Pontoise where he obtained his doctorate degrees in Languages: Translation and Languages, Literatures and Contemporary Civilizations. He has held teaching positions at the Paris School of Languages, the University of the Sunshine Coast at Sippy Downs, the University of Queensland, Brisbane, St Lucia and Deakin University, Melbourne, Australia. He is presently Professor of Modern Languages, Communication and Philosophy at Tuskegee University, Alabama, USA.
Dr. Adaku T. Ankumah is an Associate Professor of English at Tuskegee University. Her research interests focus inter alia on revolutionary playwrights from the African Diaspora and on gender and politics in the works of African women authors.