African Journal of Philosophy and Religious Studies

African Journal of Philosophy and Religious Studies ISSN 1621-4587 Vol. 6 (7), pp. 001-004, July, 2020. © International Scholars Journals

Review

Cultural theory and cultural dialogue in the 21st century

Ameh Dennis Akoh

English Unit, Department of Languages and Linguistics, College of Humanities and Culture Osun State University, Ikire Campus, Nigeria. E-mail: [email protected], [email protected]. Tel: +2348035992490, +2348050293410, +2347081485254.

Accepted 08 April, 2020

Abstract

Art is necessarily a cultural system, and culture in its mutation moves in the direction of societal becoming in the same manner as it dictates the direction of artistic creations and recreations. However, as the world, especially Africa, is being dragged along in the imperialist project of globalization, this paper interrogates the fate of cultural theory again, as it especially affects literary criticism of African texts. In the midst of what has been termed ‘nationality’s malady’, some would opt for cultural dialogue rather than effacing non-dominant ‘cultures’. There is therefore a call for an ambitious rethinking of cultural theory in order to make sense out of the grand narratives in which it is presently enmeshed, while it seeks this dialogue.

Keywords: Cultural theory, cultural dialogue, literature, Africa.