Literature, Activism and Transformative Learning

Goutam Karmakar (Durban University of Technology, South Africa)

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Hardback

Forthcoming
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English

Routledge
22 January 2026

Literary studies: fiction, novelists & prose writers; Development studies; Colonialism & imperialism; Philosophy: epistemology & theory of knowledge; Social work

This book illustrates how literary narratives can function as a type of activism, spanning socio-cultural, cognitive, intellectual, and political components within and beyond many communities, generations, and nations. These efforts promote ideals such as advancing the cause of social justice, facilitating social transformation, and safeguarding human values, rights, and the integrity of the environment.

This book emphasizes that activism includes literary narratives in which people, communities, or nations foster personal and societal reform, advocate for equity, and reinforce shared values. The intrinsic performativity of activism and the diverse forms of social engagement capable of transformative change render them relevant to the analysis of literary narratives. The ten chapters explore various facets of activism through literary narratives and the notion of social change at the grassroots level. They emphasize the importance of learning and the actions necessary for transforming education towards sustainable development through capacities such as multidisciplinary deliberation, problem-solving, and critical and holistic thinking. This volume cultivates a specific form of epistemic and social responsibility among authors, thereby facilitating a meaningful existence for all, while underscoring how literary activism embodies the endeavors of individuals and communities to interrogate, critique, and oppose varied interpretations of vulnerability, precarity, and injustice through conscious actions aimed at preserving collective well-being.

This volume will be of particular interest to scholars and students in literary studies, cultural studies, sociology, political science, environmental humanities, and education. It offers valuable insights for activists, community organizers, and policymakers engaged in social justice work. The chapters in this book were originally published as a special issue of Current Writing: Text and Reception in Southern Africa.

Edited by: Goutam Karmakar (Durban University of Technology South Africa)
Imprint: Routledge
Country of Publication: United Kingdom
Dimensions: Height: 246mm, Width: 174mm,
ISBN: 9781041225805
ISBN 10: 1041225806
Pages: 168
Publication Date: 22 January 2026
Audience: College/higher education , Primary
Format: Hardback
Publisher's Status: Forthcoming

Goutam Karmakar teaches at the Department of English, University of Hyderabad in India, with affiliations at the University of Cologne, Germany, and Durban University of Technology, South Africa. He has received prestigious fellowships including the Alexander von Humboldt and National Research Foundation awards. His research spans Global South literature, postcolonial and decolonial studies, cultural studies and environmental humanities. Karmakar edits the journal Global South Literary Studies and the Routledge book series South Asian Literature in Focus. https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9119-9486