Apply critical reading and research strategies and draw on literary theories, including comparative theory and the tenets of Afrofuturism and Africanfuturism, to deepen understanding of representative “futurist” texts
Apply literary argument to evaluate, analyze, and distinguish points of comparison and contrast between texts and in context with the tenets and aesthetics of Afrofuturism and/or Africanfuturism and the social, historical, moral, cultural, psychological, and/or aesthetic perspectives from which they arise
Write with an awareness of audience and the diversity in subject matter (cultural perspective and gender perspective, national or geographic background, time period, structure and theme).
Background
Afrofuturism is a term coined by cultural critic Mark Dery (Links to an external site.) to describe a literary, cultural, and artistic movement originating in the United States which uses science fiction and technology to imagine, in the words of activist and curator Ingrid LaFleur, (Links to an external site.) “possible futures through a Black cultural lens.” Nnedi Okorafor coined the term Africanfuturism to more specifically describe her work and those of other artists to distinguish their intentional effort to center their art on African culture, histories, and futures.
For this paper you will explore Afrofuturist & Africanfuturist thought and aesthetics in a comparative analysis paper. A comparative analysis paper is also called a compare-contrast paper, and you will select two works by different artists to focus your paper on. You are required to choose works, written or visual, that we have read or viewed within this unit (whether as a supplementary example or as integrated assignment) or any other work from Africanfuturism: An Anthology.
Essay Prompt
Write a comparative analysis paper that evaluates and analyzes points of comparison and contrast (shared themes and distinct ideas) from two of the texts (written or visual) we have explored in this unit and in context with the tenets of Afrofuturism and/or Africanfuturism.
