Arabic Slave Writings and the American Canon

FAIN: FW-50359-11

Jeffrey Einboden
Northern Illinois University (DeKalb, IL 60115-2828)

Exploring the literary foundations of early America, NIU's ENGL 331 "American Literature 1830-1860" has traditionally surveyed the nation's most iconic texts, from Ralph Waldo Emerson's Nature to Herman Melville's Moby Dick, to Walt Whitman's Leaves of Grass. Consistent with NEH's Bridging Cultures initiative, I propose to revise and expand the curriculum for this core course, introducing NIU undergraduates to the cross-cultural and multi-lingual texture of America's first decades. Specifically, I aim to integrate into ENGL 331 my own research concerning a pivotal, yet largely unrecognized, element of U.S. literary history: personal writings by African slaves of Muslim descent, composed during their captivity in America, authored in Arabic.

Associated Products

Arabic Slave Writings and the American Canon (Web Resource)
Title: Arabic Slave Writings and the American Canon
Author: Jeffrey Einboden
Abstract: "Arabic Slave Writings and the American Canon" is a website dedicated to the study and teaching of a pivotal, yet largely unrecognized, element of U.S. literary history: personal writings by African slaves of Muslim descent, composed during their captivity in America, and authored in Arabic. Promoting the integration of this rich and complex heritage into undergraduate curricula, the website serves as companion to Northern Illinois University’s own ENGL 331 (American Literature 1830-1860), but also seeks to share its primary texts, translations, and resources more broadly, offering fellow instructors and institutions the materials essential for teaching Arabic slave writings.
Year: 2011
Primary URL: http://www.niu.edu/arabicslavewritings/

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