The dissertation argues that contemporary Senegalese novelists and hip-hop artists articulate local and global connections as a strategy to address the difficulties of emigration from Senegal. The project examines the way that novelists Aminata Sow Fall, Ken Bugul, and Fatou Diome as well as several hip-hop artists including WaGeble, Awadi, 3GGA, and Simon Bisbi Clan approach emigration and return. The works of these authors and artists are set in contrast to earlier texts from Senegal that examine migration, wherein it is difficult and often impossible to maintain connections either in Senegal or abroad, resulting in tragic outcomes. Earlier works examined include those by Ousmane Soce, Cheikh Hamidou Kane, and Ousmane Sembene. Using literary and visual analysis of the written texts and hip-hop songs and videos, the dissertation demonstrates how the recent works strategically utilize local, national, and global affiliations to address emigration productively. Ultimately, the project demonstrates that these texts point to the need for a revised critical understanding of migration narratives from Senegal that takes into account the full complexity of the affiliations and backgrounds that are often central to the texts.
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