When Ugandan scholar Pio Zirimu coined the term orature to describe the oral literary tradition of Africa, he created an opening for medieval scholars to connect sub-Saharan African oral literature to the global medieval canon. Medieval scholars have long tried to expand the view of medieval studies beyond Eurocentricity. A prevalent need exists to increase representation, and this ongoing campaign finds its roots in Zirimu’s home country.
Richard Scott Nokes, a professor at Troy University, seeks to change perspectives on the role storytelling plays in medieval literature. Overall, the project challenges conventional perspectives on both Ugandan and medieval literature, with a focus on global medievalism. The Fulbright Project will be based in Uganda, with Kyambogo University in Kampala serving as the home base for groundbreaking medieval research.
Sub-Saharan Africa remains often overlooked within medieval research. Specifically, the culture lacks concrete records of traditional stories from its pre-colonial period. As with many civilizations, its literary history began with word of mouth. The primary difference is the absence of physical records of these stories. Zirimu’s term, orature, refers to this non-written literary tradition. There have been brief periods of discourse around the topic of orature, but its validity within the traditional literary canon has often been challenged by proponents of classical written literature.
Previous Fulbright Scholarships have been awarded in the realm of medieval studies, covering a variety of interests. Amos Bronner of The Catholic University of America was awarded one in 2023 to study early medieval legal practices in Vienna, Austria. In 2018, Madeline Hernstrom-Hill, a graduate of Allegheny College, received a Fulbright to pursue her master’s in medieval history at the University of Leeds. Nokes will join this group of medieval scholars by addressing a unique issue in scholarship.
The project seeks to embrace orature in order to provide an in-depth study of Ugandan literature. Rather than neglect orature, the project will gather narratives through interviews alongside archival research. Nokes will conduct interviews with the local population to collect surviving stories from before British colonization. Traditional means of data collection will form the cornerstone of the project, which aims to create an accessible collection of the stories gathered.
By collecting stories, the expectation is to find overlapping elements with other medieval pieces of literature. The project aims to offer a new perspective on the Global Middle Ages. Ugandan orature presents a unique angle for observing the creation of literature in its period. In the same vein, Nokes will explore other means of literary creation and circulation.
In keeping with the medievalist tendency toward technology, Nokes will host seminars on digital publishing at Kyambogo University. The curriculum will include AI as a writing tool and publishing method. These seminars will emphasize digital publishing as both a practical tool and a method of preservation.
In 2011, Nokes’s company, Witan Publishing, began as an outlet for medieval scholarship in the form of digital publishing. The move to digitized text in the late 2000s created a space of accessibility through affordability. Even now, digital text is highly popular in Uganda for these same reasons. Nokes observes this intersection, stating, “As medievalists know, the movement from the scroll to the codex changed the way people interact with text. Later, the print culture changed again. Digital publishing allows us to make these stories widely available in communities that don’t have easy access to print.” The project’s final goal is to create an open-access, digitized collection of Ugandan stories.
The project’s end goal resembles its origins. The creation of easily obtained literature is the first step toward building dialogue about the Middle Ages outside of typical thought. Digital publishing in this context mirrors the circulation of stories in the oral tradition. Accessibility to literature and a culture’s history is the guiding factor of this research. In addition, the digital publication of these narratives will make them available for younger generations.
Nokes has been in contact with representatives of Ugandan kingdoms to discuss orature’s cultural presence. The tradition and the changing trajectory of how we access the written word merge in the project. Access to these narratives is beneficial for preserving local stories and expanding the range of medieval literary works. By moving beyond the boundaries of medieval Europe, the definition of global medievalism continues to expand, making room for East African orature studies.
Madeline Birge is a senior undergraduate student studying English at Troy University, with a particular interest in medieval literature.
Top Image: Kidepo, Uganda – Photo by Rod Waddington / Flickr
By Madeline Birge
When Ugandan scholar Pio Zirimu coined the term orature to describe the oral literary tradition of Africa, he created an opening for medieval scholars to connect sub-Saharan African oral literature to the global medieval canon. Medieval scholars have long tried to expand the view of medieval studies beyond Eurocentricity. A prevalent need exists to increase representation, and this ongoing campaign finds its roots in Zirimu’s home country.
Richard Scott Nokes, a professor at Troy University, seeks to change perspectives on the role storytelling plays in medieval literature. Overall, the project challenges conventional perspectives on both Ugandan and medieval literature, with a focus on global medievalism. The Fulbright Project will be based in Uganda, with Kyambogo University in Kampala serving as the home base for groundbreaking medieval research.
Sub-Saharan Africa remains often overlooked within medieval research. Specifically, the culture lacks concrete records of traditional stories from its pre-colonial period. As with many civilizations, its literary history began with word of mouth. The primary difference is the absence of physical records of these stories. Zirimu’s term, orature, refers to this non-written literary tradition. There have been brief periods of discourse around the topic of orature, but its validity within the traditional literary canon has often been challenged by proponents of classical written literature.
Previous Fulbright Scholarships have been awarded in the realm of medieval studies, covering a variety of interests. Amos Bronner of The Catholic University of America was awarded one in 2023 to study early medieval legal practices in Vienna, Austria. In 2018, Madeline Hernstrom-Hill, a graduate of Allegheny College, received a Fulbright to pursue her master’s in medieval history at the University of Leeds. Nokes will join this group of medieval scholars by addressing a unique issue in scholarship.
The project seeks to embrace orature in order to provide an in-depth study of Ugandan literature. Rather than neglect orature, the project will gather narratives through interviews alongside archival research. Nokes will conduct interviews with the local population to collect surviving stories from before British colonization. Traditional means of data collection will form the cornerstone of the project, which aims to create an accessible collection of the stories gathered.
By collecting stories, the expectation is to find overlapping elements with other medieval pieces of literature. The project aims to offer a new perspective on the Global Middle Ages. Ugandan orature presents a unique angle for observing the creation of literature in its period. In the same vein, Nokes will explore other means of literary creation and circulation.
In keeping with the medievalist tendency toward technology, Nokes will host seminars on digital publishing at Kyambogo University. The curriculum will include AI as a writing tool and publishing method. These seminars will emphasize digital publishing as both a practical tool and a method of preservation.
In 2011, Nokes’s company, Witan Publishing, began as an outlet for medieval scholarship in the form of digital publishing. The move to digitized text in the late 2000s created a space of accessibility through affordability. Even now, digital text is highly popular in Uganda for these same reasons. Nokes observes this intersection, stating, “As medievalists know, the movement from the scroll to the codex changed the way people interact with text. Later, the print culture changed again. Digital publishing allows us to make these stories widely available in communities that don’t have easy access to print.” The project’s final goal is to create an open-access, digitized collection of Ugandan stories.
The project’s end goal resembles its origins. The creation of easily obtained literature is the first step toward building dialogue about the Middle Ages outside of typical thought. Digital publishing in this context mirrors the circulation of stories in the oral tradition. Accessibility to literature and a culture’s history is the guiding factor of this research. In addition, the digital publication of these narratives will make them available for younger generations.
Nokes has been in contact with representatives of Ugandan kingdoms to discuss orature’s cultural presence. The tradition and the changing trajectory of how we access the written word merge in the project. Access to these narratives is beneficial for preserving local stories and expanding the range of medieval literary works. By moving beyond the boundaries of medieval Europe, the definition of global medievalism continues to expand, making room for East African orature studies.
Madeline Birge is a senior undergraduate student studying English at Troy University, with a particular interest in medieval literature.
Top Image: Kidepo, Uganda – Photo by Rod Waddington / Flickr
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