From Oral Literature to Technauriture: What’s in a Name?

Kaschula, Russell H; Mostert, André M

Title: From Oral Literature to Technauriture: What’s in a Name?
Creator: Kaschula, Russell H
Creator: Mostert, André M
Date Issued: 2011
Date: 2011
Type: text
Type: book
Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/175201
Identifier: vital:42552
Identifier: ISBN 978-0-9566052-3-8
Identifier: https://aspace.repository.cam.ac.uk/handle/1810/237322
Description: Oral traditions and oral literature have long contributed to human communication, yet the advent of arguably the most influential technology—the written word—altered the course of creative ability. Despite its potential and scope, the development of the written word resulted in an insidious dichotomy. As the written word evolved, the oral word became devalued and pushed to the fringes of society. One of the unfortunate consequences of this transition to writing has been a focus on the systems and conventions of orality and oral tradition. Although of importance, a more appropriate focus would be on ways of supporting and maintaining the oral word, and its innate value to human society, in the face of rampant technological development. Yet it is ironic that technology is also helping to create a fecund environment for the rebirth of orality. This paper offers an overview of the debate about the relationship between oral literature, the written word and technology, and suggests that the term technauriture may offer a suitable encompassing paradigm for further engagement with the oral word and its application to modern society. We discuss the late Bongani Sitole, a poet whose oral works were transformed into public and educational resources through the application of technology, and we consider the utility of the term technauriture for describing the relationship between orality, literature and technology.
Format: 13 pages
Format: pdf
Publisher: University of Cambridge
Language: English
Relation: Kaschula, R. and Mostert, A., 2011. From Oral Literature to Technauriture: What’s in a Name?. World Oral Literature Project: Voices of vanishing worlds. Paper 4. University of Cambridge
Rights: Publisher
Rights: Use of this resource is governed by the terms and conditions of the University of Cambridge Statement (https://www.cam.ac.uk/about-this-site/terms-and-conditions?ucam-ref=global-footer)

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