Amber Bal

Amber Bal is a scholar of twentieth and twenty-first century Francophone and Wolophone literature and film. Her research explores the representation of urban-rural divides and seemingly "banal" ecologies in Francophone African literature and film as well as in archival documents from the colonial era. Her current book project, Reviving Rurality, argues that introducing rurality to discussions about twentieth century African literature offers a new perspective on colonialism and independence in which the working countryside is a central character and mischief-maker. Other areas of interest include classical reception, nineteenth and twentieth century French anthropology, African language new media and visual culture.