Some Kinds of Childhood

Images of History and Resistance in Zimbabwean Literature

Robert Muponde

 

Synopsis

Some Kinds of Childhood: Images of history and resistance in Zimbabwean literature explores the ways in which childhood is constructed and represented in a wide range of black Zimbabwean novels and short stories written in English from 1972 to 2013. In particular, it considers how representations of childhood bear upon questions of history, politics and resistance. By drawing on a range of global theories on childhood, the argument is advanced that, instead of merely seeing childhood in romantic or idyllic terms, it is possible to appreciate it as a contested terrain, one in which the larger tensions and conflicts of the society manifest themselves.

Review

[Muponde], by examining childhood helps to open new pathways for critical debate. This critical look, this examining, is lacking in Zimbabweanliterary studies. - Beaven Tapureta

Author

Robert Muponde is Professor of English in the School of Languages, Literature and Media Studies, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg.