Accented Futures: Language Activism And The Ending Of Apartheid

In this wonderfully original and intensely personal—yet deeply analytical—work, Dr. Carli Coetzee argues in favor of difference and disagreement as legitimate forms of activism to bring about social change both inside and outside the teaching environment. She begins by defining “accentedness” as the process of actively working towards the ending of apartheid by being aware of the legacies of the past, without attempting to gloss over the conflicts and violence that may exist under the surface. Having established this, she examines the concept of “accent” in a broad educational context, analyzing it, not only as an accent of speech, but also an attitude, a stance against being understood—yet a way of teaching that requires teacher and pupil to understand each other’s contexts. The book draws on seminal recent South African literature to illustrate a new way of reading and to theorize this teacher-student relationship. The ideas presented about the relationships created by the use of language to convey knowledge, particularly in translation, are evocative, thought-provoking, and even challenging at times. Accented Futures marks a significant and important contribution to research on identity in post-apartheid South Africa, as well as to the fields of education and translation studies.