Question

The literary canon has been used to privilege white European and American writers and to treat writers of color as offshoots of the main story. Thus the canon is used to maintain white ________ ___________.

Answer 1

The literary canon has historically privileged white European and American writers, maintaining white cultural dominance. Efforts to decolonize the canon involve including a more diverse range of voices and reevaluating analytical tools to avoid Eurocentric biases. This transition aims to create a more equitable representation of literary works.

Step-by-step explanation:

The literary canon has often been critiqued for its role in privileging white European and American writers, thereby perpetuating white cultural dominance. This has historically marginalized writers of color, contributing to a biased view of literature that values certain narratives over others. As a response, there has been a growing movement towards decolonizing the canon, which involves broadening the body of works considered important to include a diverse range of voices and perspectives.

This shift recognizes that the literary canon is not fixed but rather a changing set of texts that reflect the values and ideologies of those who have the power to define it. The inclusion of writers such as Olaudah Equiano, Phillis Wheatley, Frederick Douglass, and Toni Morrison alongside British authors from former colonies and various minoritized and/or postcolonial writers works towards a more inclusive canon that values artistic merit and diverse worldviews. The process of decolonizing the canon also involves reevaluating the analytical tools used to interpret literature, ensuring that they do not reflect inherent biases towards a Eurocentric perspective.