A monograph based on this PhD is in the process of preparation and publication. 

PhD dissertation titled "The Presence of the Flying Africans Myth in Postcolonial Novels of the 20th and 21st Centuries" explores how this myth is expressed in cultural texts, particularly in literary works.

The methodology adopted involves a deep contextualization of this narrative, hence the dissertation is divided into two main parts. The first part examines the folkloric sources and genesis of the Flying Africans myth, highlighting its significance and presence in culture and relating it to the concept of collective identity of the Black Atlantic. This section refers to Paul Gilroy's concept of the Black Atlantic and Roy Eyerman's work on slavery as a form of collective memory, and discusses the religious and historical contexts that form the most significant variants of the myth.

The dissertation delves into specific stories like the 1803 Igbo Landing, where a group of slaves rebelled and committed mass suicide, which is seen as a foundational narrative for the Flying Africans complex in American lore. It also touches upon the American federal project of the 1930s that collected and processed oral stories from Black communities along Georgia's Coast, which has had a significant impact on American writers who explicitly draw from its contents.

The second part titled "LITERATURE" focuses on the analysis of literary texts. The initial hypothesis assumed finding a common denominator among the analyzed works, identifying their common features, and showcasing differences in how the Flying Africans myth functions as a literary motif. This myth serves as a key to Afro-American post-memory, a tool for revising trauma and reclaiming lost history across generations of writers, increasingly used to evoke "ghosts of the past."

The dissertation analyzes works by Ralph Ellison, Toni Morrison, Gloria Naylor, Paule Marshall, and Nalo Hopkinson among others, highlighting how the Flying Africans narrative not only introduces themes of uncovering the past but also aligns with the original message of the myth—offering hope, resistance, and restoration of what was lost, carrying meanings akin to those in oral tradition.

The study extends to non-American variants of the myth from the Caribbean, including stories from Haiti, Suriname, Jamaica, Cuba, Guyana, Trinidad and Tobago, showing that the myth is not just a more ancient narrative but also rooted in the cosmological systems and religions brought to the New World.

In conclusion, the dissertation argues that authors using the Flying Africans myth create a "community of narratives" that becomes central to thinking and speaking about Black and Creole identities of the Black Atlantic. This extensive analysis of the myth's genesis, presence in folklore, and unique cultural meanings allows for a deeper understanding of its function in literature, providing a comprehensive and contemporary exploration of how the Flying Africans myth operates in culture and literature today.

Reviewers: Dominika Ferens, Prof., Klara Szmańko, Prof.

Advisor: Katarzyna Mroczkowska-Brand, Prof. 

Institution: Faculty of Polish Studies : Chair of Literary Comparative Studies, Jagiellonian University in Cracow, Poland

Date of defence: 2021-02-24

Remarks: Access to the publication is available at the UJ Archives

Language: Polish