EN852: Colonial and Postcolonial Discourses
30 credits, 15 ECTS credits: Autumn term
Convenor: Prof. Abdulrazak Gurnah
This module introduces you to a wide range of colonial and postcolonial theoretical discourses. It focuses on the following areas: construction of the historical narrative of imperialism, psychology and culture of colonialism, authentication of postcolonial culture.
The module explores these areas and the problems they raise in reading literature and culture. Through the study of crucial texts and narratives, both historical and current, the module analyses the birth of the imperialist narrative and its complex consequences for the world today. Among the areas we study are representation of cultures, and the debate on authenticating accounts of colonial and postcolonial intellectuals such as Franz Fanon and Edward Said.
Preliminary reading
Franz Fanon - The Wretched of the Earth
Edward Said - Orientalism
Gayatri Spivak - The Postcolonial Critic