The Birth of the (Non) European Author

The Birth of the (Non)European Author draws attention to the power relations between subaltern authors and the field of publishing, especially focusing on the ownership of author rights and the representation of authorship. By particularly concentrating on the creation and marketing of "indigenous authorship" and "marginality" as goods on the global book market, the relationship between "subaltern/marginalised" authors and agents of the book market, such as editors and publishers is highlighted as unbalanced and precarious.

This book traces the genre testimonial narration, from slave narratives to African-American child soldier memoirs, analysing the relationship of Western publishing modes and what is being sold as "African authorship”. Combining explorations of theories of representation and authorship with close readings of testimonial narrations and the analysis of the relationship between professional writer and witness, this book contributes to the field of postcolonial theory, globalization studies and book history