Shane Moran - Alternation Journal

scrubbed away. Thus, Asvat's c
Flames, critical of the interne
evinces no interest apart fro
in vague asides by Pechey;
exceptions (the three artic
Tlali and Serote's respons
rote proi~ouncement of cliches tail
direction of this book. Thus, what b
assumptions of the literature ofthe
too much of the critical output tak
while 'post-colonial' thought ack
wider cultural provenance, there
such as Fine and Rustomjee's The Political Economy ofSozrth Africa. One also looks
vain for any discussion-apart from two of the position papers, asides by Serote a
during this period, such as censo
in publishing brought about by increasing multinational involvement and control, t
dearth of bookshops, bulk buying practices, the rise in book prices etc. would be
interest. Even more tellingly, des
instance of its effect on the oew
forthcolni~ig that all local cultur
for instance, of aspects ofcape Town culture that Coetzee chooses to ignore, suc
Trotskyist and left-wing traditions). Moreovel; the concept of the 'ordinaryleve
is accepted on faith. It is surely useful only if it isprobleinatised.
If one looks for an
prepared to read texts about texts about texts (I am, ofcourse, using the narrow rnean
of 'text' here), with the final effect of an infinite regression of mirrors. On the ot
hand, it is striking that (Wicomb's brief remarks about Rhabha and Ahmad excepte
PVriting South Afiic l~yn Sole
transcendental basis for ethics is being denied in the name of politics' (quoted
a context (such as that shown in Age ofion) where the proble~n is whether 'the
in question has a culturally ernbedded code of ethics to which tnost of its