Uses of Literature

The value of literature is minimised in the functioning of society. If this is the case in South Africa, the problem has to a greater or lesser degree a global applicability. In turning a comparative lens on South Africa, the project seeks to identify the ‘uses’ of literature to its own study, to other professions and, generally, to the public sphere. How might literature – defined not narrowly as high art, but broadly as imaginative expression and responsiveness – play a role in human and societal flourishing? The project locates its purpose in ‘post-apartheid’ difficulties, particularly as these pertain to a divisive public language.