They're Not Abolishing English

When I first turned to "On the Abolition of the English Department," I was prepared to staunchly oppose what would be presented. I remained somewhat defensive until I realized that, in the words of the introduction, the Kenyan professors were advocating an "expansionist" policy. They weren't nearly as radical as I had expected.

I had expected that the Kenyan professors would throw out all English-language literature with the exception of Negritude, Afro-Caribbean, and African literature. Instead, I found that the proposed changes within the University of Nairobi's English (or Literature) Department served to put English national literature in perspective in light of the students' identities as Kenyans. This actually made quite a bit of sense to me. After all, it's their country. Why shouldn't they celebrate their culture and heritage?

The inclusion of African oral literature fascinated me. I learned that the oral tradition-- specifically, the folk tale-- incorporates song. So far, I've found that this is unique to Africa, and I really respect it. I think the closest thing to the African folk tale that we have in our culture is opera and musicals, but both of these genres are considered music-related, not literature-related.

I also found it interesting that the revised departmental syllabi would include the literature of other European countries such as Germany, Russia, and France. Again, I would have previously expected that the department would eliminate all study of European literature out of (justified) resentment. The inclusion of these countries' literature makes sense because it would give students a better-rounded and better-informed knowledge of the world and its cultures without compromising the study of Kenyan literature.

I wonder whether similar changes will eventually occur within the wider American university system. I am currently investigating numerous graduate programs in English, and most of the schools that I'm considering have exclusively "English" departments. These schools include Rice, University of Texas, UCLA, UC-Berkeley, and UC-Santa Barbara. However, UC-San Diego is notable in its rejection of the strictly "English" department. They offer a broad Literature degree which encompasses Asian, African, American, Commonwealth, and European literature in addition to the standard English literature. I originally dismissed this innovation as a result of politically-correct multiculturalism, and I still don't know whether I would apply to UCSD because their broad focus may not allow for intense study in British literature and general literary criticism-- where I would like to focus my studies. However, this article about the University of Nairobi's proposed transformation has caused me to become more open-minded and to respect UCSD's decision.