Abstract: This article focuses on the Department of Literature at the University of Dar es Salaam during the 1960s and 1970s, offering a systematic investigation into its academic transformation under the influence of Marxist thought and the far-reaching consequences of this shift. Since its establishment, the dissemination of Marxist ideas at the University of Dar es Salaam has been deeply intertwined with Tanzania’s broader socialist experiment. By tracing pivotal developments such as the National Service Crisis, the introduction of the policy of educational self-reliance, and the University of Dar es Salaam Conference in 1967, this study uncovers the social and institutional foundations that enabled Marxism to take root in the Department of Literature. During this period, the department not only served as a crucial site for ideological dissemination, but also actively engaged in in-depth debates on the construction of national literature and the imagination of community through literary polemics, criticism, translation, and writing. These practices significantly enriched the theoretical trajectories of African literature.

Key words: Department of Literature at the University of Dar es Salaam, the Marxist turn, education for self-reliance, National Service Crisis

摘要： 本文以20世纪六七十年代达累斯萨拉姆大学文学系为主要研究对象,系统考察马克思主义思潮影响下该系的学术转型及深远影响。自建校以来,马克思主义思想在达累斯萨拉姆大学的传播经历与坦桑尼亚的社会主义实践形成了深刻的互动关系。梳理国家服务危机、教育自立政策的颁布以及1967年达累斯萨拉姆大学会议等关键事件,则能揭示马克思主义在该校文学系扎根的社会根源与制度基础。这一时期的文学系不仅成为思想传播阵地,更以文学论争、文学批评、文学翻译与文学创作等方式,参与关于民族文学建构与想象共同体的深度讨论,丰富了非洲文学的理论路径。

关键词: 达累斯萨拉姆大学文学系, 马克思主义转向, 教育自立政策, 国家服务危机