Escritoras afro-americanas contemporáneas : historia e identidad femeninas

Abstract

The recent preeminence of the literary production of contemporary African American women writers due to their growing visibility has led to a questioning and redefinition of the established canon of American literature. However, after almost thirty years of history, a revaluation of the significance and impact of this production is needed. The fact that their work is at the top of woridwide bestsellers lists emphasizes the interest awakened in the reading market by the themes deah with by these women, practically ignored up to then. Such thematic content seems to be structured according to two main concerns: the first one, the redefinition of the concept of Afincan American female identity from within, that also implies a redefinition of the beauty ideal and a reconstruction of a notion of history and culture from this perspective; and the second one, the concept of gender specificity, of femininity within the African American community. The detailed analysis of these two issues will confirm the important place that this production rightly occupies in the American contemporary canon, together with the promising future it offers to coming women writers who continue to explore the rich and dynamic potentiality of the Afiican American female tradition.