World Literature: Global, Democratic and Plurivocal
Behnam M Fomeshi
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Abstract
With the beginning of the new millennium a new era began for the discipline. Comparative literature realized the necessity of the globalization, hence the discipline moved toward world literature, or one may argue that it returned to its original idea. Today comparative literature has forgotten its old West-centrism and is moving toward a global view to include non-Western cultures. The bell has tolled for the West-centric discipline as Spivak announced in her Death of a Discipline (2003). Nationalism and cultural superiority of the French school is replaced with multiculturalism and cultural relativism. World literature is the new comparative literature. While literature and literary studies are losing attraction in contrast to the various forms of popular culture and consumer culture, world literature is increasingly flourishing. Comparative literature in its origin provided scholars with a global view of literature. The French school led it into nationalistic and Eurocentric paths. In the twenty-first century the discipline has returned to its original democratic path. Goethe's Weltliteratur, affected by the French school, turned into a narrow-minded comparative literature. Now, aided by post-colonial thought, multiculturalism and globalization, it is the global, democratic and plurivocal world literature that sacrifices no culture for the sake of the others. I am going to present " World Literature: Global, Democratic and Plurivocal" at 21st World congress of the International Comparative Literature Association (July 21st – 27th 2016. University of Vienna) as a contribution to the panel no. 17285, “Towards a New World Literature”. Date: Saturday, July 23rd Time: 2:30 p.m. Place: University of Vienna, Room Hs 48 Chair: Gisela Brinker-Gabler; Barbara Agnese
