Indigenous sign-systems, such as pictographs, petroglyphs,
hieroglyphs, and khipu, are usually understood as relics from an
inaccessible past. That is far from the truth, however, as Edgar
Garcia makes clear in Signs of the Americas. Rather than being dead
languages, these sign-systems have always been living, evolving
signifiers, responsive to their circumstances and able to
continuously redefine themselves and the nature of the world.
Garcia tells the story of the present life of these sign-systems,
examining the contemporary impact they have had on poetry, prose,
visual art, legal philosophy, political activism, and environmental
thinking. In doing so, he brings together a wide range of
indigenous and non-indigenous authors and artists of the Americas,
from Aztec priests and Amazonian shamans to Simon Ortiz, Gerald
Vizenor, Jaime de Angulo, Charles Olson, Cy Twombly, Gloria Anzald
a, William Burroughs, Louise Erdrich, Cecilia Vicu a, and many
others. From these sources, Garcia depicts the culture of a modern,
interconnected hemisphere, revealing that while these "signs of the
Americas" have suffered expropriation, misuse, and mistranslation,
they have also created their own systems of knowing and being.
These indigenous systems help us to rethink categories of race,
gender, nationalism, and history. Producing a new way of thinking
about our interconnected hemisphere, this ambitious, energizing
book redefines what constitutes a "world" in world literature.
General
Is the information for this product incomplete, wrong or inappropriate?
Let us know about it.
Does this product have an incorrect or missing image?
Send us a new image.
Is this product missing categories?
Add more categories.
Review This Product
No reviews yet - be the first to create one!
Welcome to Loot.co.za!
Sign in / Register |Wishlists & Gift Vouchers |Help | Advanced search
