The fictional kanaima: Amerindian social thought in the making of the literary space of Guianas

Abstract

This thesis focuses on the national literatures of the Guianas region, namely Suriname, Venezuela, Brazil and Guyana, examining the possibility of a shared literary space. The thread that connects the four fictional narratives under scrutiny, is the Amerindian concept of kanaima and its related cosmological features, a unique topos of the Guianas region. The present thesis examines how various interpretations of the complex notion of kanaima are recreated in the fictional narratives. The literary kanaima, as a marker of difference in the Guianas, stands out as a multifaceted but fruitful image, playing an important role in fundamental South American texts.

Date of Award	31 Dec 2021
Original language	English
Awarding Institution	The University of Manchester
Supervisor	Lucia Sa (Supervisor) & Karl Posso (Supervisor)