Abstract:
The relationship between literature and (scientific) knowledge does not seem to be satisfactorily treated neither by the sociology of knowledge nor by the sociology of literature. For the former, the literature can be conceived as a form of knowledge, but has to preserve its “fictional nature” in contrast to scientific knowledge. For the latter, what matters is the social dimension of literature and how it can express in an exaggerated, distorted, controversial manner the reality, without being confounded with it. The argument developed in this article does not expect to establish a similitude between literature and scientific knowledge. It seeks to explore new ways in which literature can be seen as a valid epistemology for understanding social dynamics. This is a job for a social scientist. To shape this reflection, although still in the exploratory stage, I bring together critical references to my two-fold relationship – to the theme of African studies and that of of the sociology of literature – in an attempt to take to a new level the theoritical-epistemological issues relevant to the production of knowledge. The state of the art of this reflection is still without answers, but is producing questions pointing to need for more systematic research and where these specific forms of production can lead us.
Keywords:
Literature; African literature; Knowledge; Epistemology