Reading a Different Story

Christianity’s demographics, vitality, and influence have tipped markedly toward the global South and East. Addressing this seismic shift, a noted Christian literary scholar recounts how her focus has shifted from American to African literature.
Susan VanZanten began her career working on nineteenth-century American literature. A combination of personal circumstances, curricular demands, world events, and unfolding scholarship have led her to teach, research, and write about African literature and to advocate for a global approach to education and scholarship. This is the second book in the Turning South series, which offers reflections by eminent Christian scholars who have turned their attention and commitments beyond North America.

Author Biography

Susan VanZanten (PhD, Emory University) is professor of English at Seattle Pacific University in Seattle, Washington, and leads faculty workshops and retreats across the country. She is the author or editor of seven books, including “Joining the Mission: A Guide for (Mainly) New College Faculty,” “Mending a Tattered Faith: Devotions with Dickinson,” and “Truth and Reconciliation: The Confessional Mode in South African Literature.” She frequently reviews contemporary African fiction in” Books & Culture.”