Evaluating the Representation of Nigerian Literature in International Comparative Literature Syllabi

The degree to which Nigerian literature is represented in comparative literature programmes at universities in the United Kingdom, the United States, and South Africa reveals the continuing asymmetries of the global literary field and has direct implications for how Nigerian scholars engage with their own literary tradition in relation to world literature. This study evaluated the representation of Nigerian literary texts in comparative literature syllabi at six international universities: Oxford, Cambridge, Columbia, Yale, the University of Cape Town, and Stellenbosch University. A professional syllabus analysis methodology was employed, examining publicly available course syllabi from comparative literature, postcolonial literature, and world literature programmes at all six institutions. Syllabi were analysed for author nationality, language of original composition, period coverage, and genre balance. Results showed that Nigerian authors appeared in comparative literature courses at an average frequency of 4.2 texts per institution, compared with a median of 12.3 texts from the United Kingdom. Chinua Achebe, Wole Soyinka, and Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie accounted for 78 percent of all Nigerian text appearances. Pre-1960 Nigerian literature, writing in Nigerian languages, and literature from the North East and North West zones was entirely absent. The study concludes that Nigerian literature in international comparative programmes is represented through a narrow canonical canon that systematically excludes linguistic, regional, and generational diversity. The study recommends a Nigerian Universities Commission white paper on advocating for fuller Nigerian literary representation in international academic curricula.

Keywords: Nigerian literature, international syllabi, representation, comparative literature canon, world literature