EMPLOYMENT
2007-Present, State University of New York at Stony Brook, Comparative Literary and Cultural Studies, Assistant Professor of Literary Theory
July 2006 - Present, Vassar College, Randolph Distinguished Visiting Associate Professor of German and Africana Studies
July 2000 - 2007, Shippensburg University, Associate Professor of French and German, Department of Modern Languages
1999 - 2000, Humboldt University, Berlin (Germany), Post-Doctoral Fellow, Institute for Asian and African Studies
1997-1999, Johann Wolfgang Goethe University, Frankfurt/Main (Germany), Lecturer, Department of Theater, Film and Media Studies; Department of German Studies
BOOK AWARDS
Grand Prix Littéraire de l'Afrique Noire for the Novel temps de chien, 2003
Shortlisted for the Prix des Cinq Continents de la Francophonie for Temps de chien, 2002
Prix Marguerite Yourcenar ($10,000), for francophone writers living in the USA, for Temps de Chien, 2001
Prix CREPLA for 'Historie d'un enfant Quatr Z'yeux', 1986
EDITORIAL COMMITTES
Africultures. Special Number on 'Cameroun: la culture sacrifiée, France, 2004
Protheus. A Journal of Ideas, Shippensurg University, 2004
Welfengarten. Deutsch-Afrikanisches Jahrbuch für interkulturelles Denkens, Germany, 2002-present
PROFESSIONAL ASSOCIATIONS
Modern Languages Association (MLA)
International Federation of Modern Languages and Literatures (IFMLL)
African Literature Association (ALA)
African Studies Association (ASA)
German Studies Association (GSA)
PUBLICATIONS
BOOKS
SCHOLARLY
Manifeste d'une nouvelle litterature africaine. Pour une ecriture preemptive (Paris: Homnispheres, 2007)
http://homnispheres.info/article.php3?id_article=219 A theory of new african literatures
Interkulturalität und Bearbeitung. Untersuchung zu Soyinka und Brecht (Muenchen:ludicum Verlag, 1998): A comparative analysis of the theater work of Wole Soyinka and Bertolt Brecht
WORK IN PROGRESS
1. Cinema and Colony: A Monograph on German, French, British and Belgian Colonial Films
2. L'Etat d'Espirt: Essay on Politics and Literature
CREATIVE WRITING
1. Apologie du vandale, a collection of poems, (Yaounde: Clé, 2006)
2. La Chanson du joggeur, a novel, (serialized in the daily newspaper Le Messager, Douala, Cameroon, from July 12 - September 2, 2005).
3. Le Principe dissident, non-fiction, (Yaoundé: interlignes, 2005)
4. L'invention du beau regard, two urban tales, (Paris: Gallimard, 2005), Translation: (English: in person)
5. La Joie de vivre, a novel, (Paris: le Serpent à Plumes, 2003)
6. Temps de chien, a novel, (Paris:
le Serpent à Plumes, 2001), Translations: English, (Dog days, University of Virginia Pres, Charlottesville: 2006); German, (Hundezeiten, Peter Hammer Verlag, Wuppertal: 2003)
7. La Promesse des fleurs, a novel, (Paris: l'Harmattan, 1997)
8. elobi, poetry (Paris: Saint-Germain-des-Prés, 1995), Translation: English (African World Press, 2006)
SCHOLARLY JOURNAL ARTICLES AND BOOK CHAPTERS
1. 'Das Bewusstsein der Sprache, ihr Gewissen," translation by Viola Prueschek, in: Susan Arndt, Dirk Naguschewski & Robert Stockhammer (Edit.): Anderssprachigkeit (in)der Literature. Berlin: Kulturverlag Kadmos, 2006, 10.
2. 'Writing without France,"in Susan Arndt, Katrin Berndt: Words and Worlds: African Writing, Literature and Society, Africa World Press, Trenton. 2006. 10; reprinted in German as: ‘Schreiben ohne Frankreich’, in: Arndt, Susan; Berndt, Katrin (edit): Kreatives Schreiben. SchriftstellerInnen ueber Literatur, Theater und Gesellschaft, Wuppertal, 2005, 10 p; reprinted in French as: ‘Ecrire sans la France’, in: Africultures, online.
3. 'Autobiographies of Blackness in Germany', in: Eric Ames, Marcia Klotz, Lora Wildenthal: Germany's Colonial Pasts, The University of Nebraska Press, 2005, 12 p.
4. 'The Fabrication of nature in Belgian colonial films', in: Cultural Perspectives on Colonialism, Racism and Migration. Versions and Subversions in African Literatures, edited by Susan Arndt, Amsterdam, 2005, 15 p.
5. 'Deconstructing Authority in Cinema: Jean-Marie Teno', in: Tcheuyap, Alexis (ed.): Cinema and Social Discourse in Cameroon, Bayreuth, 2005, 20 p.; Reprinted from: 'Filming aa Autocratic Society: Jean Marie Teno' In: The Literary Griot, edited by O. Traore, Wayne, 2000, 16 p.
6. 'Die Strasse im Zeichen der Interkulturalität: Diop Mambety’s Hyènes' in: Kameruner Beiträge zur internationale Germanistik. Festschrift für Prof. Simo zum 25jährigen Wirken an der Kameruner Universität, Leipzig, 2004, 10 p.
7. 'L'exil et le pays', in : Marcelin Vounda Etoa : La Littérature camerounaise depuis l’époque coloniale. Figures, esthétiques et thématiques, Presses universitaires de Yaoundé, 2004, 10 p.
8. 'Of Cameras, trains and roads: French colonial conquest and cinematographic practice', in: Black Renaissance-Renaissance Noire, New York, 2004, 10 p.
9. 'Jenseits der Kinematographie des Jägers: Schomburgk, Rouch, Soyinka' reprinted in Literatur und Interkulturalitaet. Festschrift fuer Leo Kreutzer, edited by Arne Eppers, Hannover, 2004, 20 p; Second printing from: Acta Germanica. Jahrbuch des Germanistenverbandes im südlichen Afrika, edited by John Noyes, Cape Town, 2000, 30 p.
10. 'Schreiben als Selbstgespräch' In Lesekulturen/Reading Cultures, edited by Janos Riesz/Hans Walter Schmidt-Hannisa. Frankfurt/M. 2003, 6 p.
11. 'Le Tombeau de Mongo Beti' In Remember Mongo Beti, edited by Ambroise Kom. Bayreuth, 2003, 8 p.
12. 'Drei und eine Möglichkeiten den 'métisse' zu töten: Cheikh Hamidou Kane, Mariama Bâ, Monique Ilboudo' In Comparativ. Die Erfahrungen des Imperiums kehren zurück: Inszenierungen des Fremden in der deutschen Literatur, edited by D. Simo, Leipzig, 2002, 12 p.
13. 'Jean-Marie Teno ou comment filmer une société autocratique' In CinemAction, edited by Samuel Lefebvre, Paris, 2002, 8 p.
14. "Zur Dekonstruktion der Autorität im Kino: Jean-Marie Teno' In Bilderwelten – Sprachwelten. Filmschaffen in West- und Nordafrika, edited by W. Peter, Mayence, 2001, 17 p.
15. 'Der koloniale Sehnsuchtsfilm: Vom lieben Afrikaner der Nazi-Filme' In Welfengarten. Jahrbuch fuer Essayismus, edit by LeoKreutzer. Hannover, 2001, 16 p.; Reprinted in: AfrikaBilder. Studien zu Rassismus in Deutschland, edited by Susan Arndt, 2001; Third Printing in: Die Brücke, Saarbrücken, 2001.
16. 'Les voies populaires du cinéma au Nigéria' In: Notre Librairie. Revue des Littératures du Sud, edited by Jean-Louis Joubert, Paris, 2000, 8 p.
17. 'Die Erfindung eines postkolonialen Subjekts im Film: Jean Rouch und Sembène Ousmane' In Welfengarten. Jahrbuch für Essayismus, edited by Leo Kreutzer, Hannover, 1999, 19 p.
18. 'Tod und Interkulturalität. Von der 'Jedermann'-Moralität zum Weltbild der Yorùbá' In Grenzgänge. Das Theater und die anderen Künste, edited by H. Finter, Tübingen, 1998, 10 p.
19."Umwege zur Interkulturalität. Brechts"‘Afrika", In Welfengarten. Jahrbuch für Essayismus, edited by Leo Kreutzer, Hannover, 1998, 17 p.
JOURNALISTIC ESSAYS AND INTERVENTIONS
1. 'Le Train', preface to : Théophile Kouamouo (Ed.) : La France que je combats. Itinéraire intellectuel et personnel, Paris, 2006.
2. 'Lettre ouverte à Paul Biya', in : Le Messager (Douala), Mutation (Yaoundé), La Nouvelle expression (Douala), 2 p., reprinted on numerous Cameroonian websites, 2006.
3. '"Eloge de l'opposition', in : Mutations, Yaoundé, 2006, 2 p.
4.'Politiquement visionnaire, socialement rétrograde', in : Le Messager, Douala, 2006, 4 p.
5. 'La République homophobe du Cameroun', in : Mutations, Yaoundé, 2006, 2. p.
6. 'L'utopie d'un monde sans l'Afrique, in : PEN World international magazine, 2006, 8 p.
7. 'Le Procès de Mouafo Djontu', in : La Nouvelle Expression, Douala, Jan 11, 2006, 6 p.
8. 'Le talon d'Achille : Lettre ouverte au professeur Achille Mbembe', in : Mutation, 16 November 2005, 5 p.
9. 'L'extension du domaine des reves', in : Kulturissimo, Luxemburg, November 2005, 6 p; reprinted in: La nouvelle expression, Douala, Oct. 6 2005, p.
10. 'Lettre ouverte à Jacques Chirac', truncated version published in Jeune Afrique, 2005
11. 'Nous sommes tous des Togolais', in : Jeune Afrique, Paris, Februar 20, reprinted on numerous Togolese websites, 2005.
12. 'Pour une littérature préemptive', in : Africultures, Paris, online, 2005.
13. 'Le silence de la poésie : la poésie camerounaise de 1990 et d'après', in :Africultures, No 60, July-September, 2004, 6 pp.
14. 'Le pays de Kourouma', in : ozila.org, web, 2004
15. 'Le noeud gordien', in: Africultures, No 59, April-June 2004, 6 pp.
16. 'La maison de l'écrivain’, in :Africalia’03, Brussels, January 2003
17. 'La démission intellectuelle. Leçons d’un voyage au Cameroun et au Gabon pré-électoraux’, In Africultures (online), September 2003.
18. 'La Trahison : pour répondre à Bernard Dadié', In Africultures, special number on Côte d’Ivoire, May-June, 2003, 3 p.
19. 'Madame, que faites vous dans cette galère?' Lettre ouverte à Monique Ilboudo, Ministre des droits humains du Burkina Faso', In Africultures (web), January 2003 ; Reprinted in Fraternité Matin (Côte d’Ivoire) February 2003.
20. 'L'écrivain africain et le syndrome rwandais' In: Le monde, Paris, 14 Jan. 2003 ; Reprinted in : Le Bulletin d’Amnesty International Luxembourg, Luxemburg, July 2003
21. 'En guise de réponse à nos petit enfants', In: Estuaire. Revue culturelle, Luxembourg, 2001, 9 p.
22. 'Der Fall Calixthe Beyala', in: Norddeutsche Mission. Brücke zum Partner in Afrika, Bremen, 2000, 3 p.
23. 'Mongo Beti. Ein Autor als Buchhändler', In: Literaturnachrichten, Frankfurt/Main, January-April 1998
24. 'Entretien avec Mongo Beti', In Africultures. La Lettre des Musiques et des Arts Africains, 1998, 10 p.
SHORT FICTION (2000-2006)
1. ‘La terre du café. Lettre a mon grand-père a propos de la France qui ment’, in: Dernieres nouvelles du colonialisme, Jean-Luc Raharimanana, Paris, 2006, 10 p.
2. ‘The Writing Lesson’, in : Farafina, Lagos, 2006, 9 p.
3. ‘La Bibliothèque de Ernst’, in : L’Europe vue d’Afrique. An Anthology of short stories, edited by Jean-Christophe Rufin,Paris, 2004, 10 p.
4. ‘L’Assassin et son ombre’, in : Les Nouveaux Poètes Français et Francophones, Anthologie, edited by Jean-Luc Favre and Matthias Vincenot, Paris, 2004, 6 p. 5. ‘Our Neighborhood Fool’, in : From Africa. New Francophone Stories, Edited by Adèle King, Lincoln and London, 2004, 7 p.
6. ‘Hundezeiten’, in : Welfengarten. Deutsch-Afrikanisches Jahrbuch für interkulturelles Denken, Hannover, 2003, 11 p.
7. ‘Weitere Gerüchte über die Weißen’, in: Blick in den schwarzen Spiegel, Das Bild des Weißen in der afrikanischen Literatur des 20. Jahrhunderts, Wuppertal, 2003, 2 p.
8. ‘Hundezeit’, in: Die Horen. Zeitschrift für Literatur, Kunst und Kultur, Düsseldorf, 2003, 2 p.
9. ‘Je suis né’, ‘Quand les eaux’, ‘Farewell to Hell’, Poésie 1/Vagabondages: La nouvelle Poésie française, edited by Jean Orizet, Paris, 2000, 3 p.
CONFERENCES (2000-2006)
KEYNOTE ADDRESSES AND INVITED LECTURES
1. ‘Le Complexe de Senghor’, Cerisy Conference on Léopold Sédar Senghor, Cerisy (France) – 2006, read in abstentiae
2. ‘Préemption’, International PEN Conference, panel on: ‘Writing in a Time of War’, Berlin (Germany), 2006
3. ‘An Other Republic’, Taft keynote address, 26th Cincinnati Conference on Romance Languages and Literatures, University of Cincinnati, 2006
4. ‘Picturing the Colonized’, University of Florida, 2006
5. ‘Globalisierung und ich’, Germersheim Universitaet, Germersheim (Germany), 2005
4. ‘Brecht’s “Dreigroschenoper” und Wole Soyinka’s Re-écriture “Opera Wonyosi”‘, Center for Literary Research, Berlin (Germany), 2003.
5. ‘La conscience de la langue’, Center for Literary Research, Berlin (Germany), 2003
6. ‘The Fabrication of nature in Belgian and German colonial films’, German Department of the University of Vermont, 2003.
7. ‘Autobiographies of Blackness in Germany : Massaquoi, Oji, Mefire’, Brown Bag lecture at the University of Vermont, 2003.
8. ‘Le Tombeau de Mongo Beti’, keynote address at the Symposium ‘Mission terminée: a Tribute to Mongo Beti’, at Columbia
University, New York, 2002.
9. ‘Ecriture comme Soliloque’, keynote address at the Symposium ‘Les Lieux de Mémoire, Mémoire des Lieux’, at the University of Bayreuth (Germany), 2002.
10. ‘Approaches from the outside’ : Autobiographies of Black men in Germany’, Conference on ‘German Colonialism’ held in Honor of Prof. Susanne Zantop, in Dartmouth College, 2002.
11. ‘African Writing in German’, Symposium ‘Postcolonial Representations : Language, Identity and Culture’, at the University of Maryland, 2002.
12. ‘Beyong the hunting Camera: Hans Schomburgk, Jean Rouch and Ahmadou Kourouma’, Department of Germanic Languages and Literatures, Ohio State University, 2002.
13. ‘Africa and African diaspora in German cinema : a historical and critical overview’, keynote speech presented at the invitation of the festival ‘German Film & Video Festival : women behind the Camera: Contemporary Filmmakers in multicultural Germany’, at Wellesley College, 2002.
14. ‘Of ‘good’ Germans and ‘loving’ Blacks: ‘Africa’ in German ‘Afrikafilme’, Symposium ‘Postcolonial Theory and German Studies’ at Cornell University, 2002
CONFERENCE PAPERS
SOME SELECTED BOOK READINGS
1. International PEN Conference. Moderation of the ‘Africa’-evening in the Berliner Ensemble, with Nadine Gordimer, Meja Mwangi, Veronique Tadjo, Lesego Rampolokeng, 2006
2. Reading tour of Germany (Hannover, Muenster, Wuppertal, Bad Alsfeld), 2006
3. Times of the Writer, in Durban (South Africa), 2006
4. Reading tour of Germany (Heidelberg, Frankfurt, Stuttgart, Mainz, etc.), 2005
5. Reading tour of Cameroon (Yaoundé, Douala, Bamenda, Buéa, Dshang), 2005
6. Next Flag, in Lüneburg (Germany), 2004
7. La Plume noire, Paris (France), 2004
8. Reading Tour of Germany, 2003
9. International Book Fair of Frankfurt (Germany), 2003
10. Centre Culturel Français de Douala, Institut Goethe de Yaoundé (Cameroon), 2003
11.’Africa Alive’ in Frankfurt (Germany), 2002
12. FESPACO (Burkina Faso), 2001
13. ‘Ecritures métisses’ and ‘Printemps des Poètes’ (France), 2001