British colonialism changed the world, but it also changed Britain. This module explores how writers of prose and poetry from across Britain, Ireland, the Caribbean, Africa, and Asia have represented the consequences of imperial decline for British society and culture. Beginning in the midst of the 'end of empire' and ending in the world in which we find ourselves today, we'll explore how writers such as Bernadine Evaristo, Sam Selvon, Irvine Welsh, Abdulrazak Gurnah, and Kamila Shamsie depict such varied themes as: nostalgia for empire; racism towards migrants, their descendants, and people seeking asylum in the UK; and the impacts of the ‘War on Terror’. We will also explore how literature can bring the category of ‘British’ into question and enunciate new forms of commonality that actively reject harmful and exclusionary imperial myths about racial, cultural, and national difference.
32 (Lecture 16 hours, Seminar 16 hours)
Research project worth 40%
Research project worth 60%
Reassessment - 100% written instrument (3000 words)
On successfully completing the module, students will be able to:
1) Evaluate the key concerns that intersect studies of contemporary British and postcolonial writing, such as national belonging, race, gender, and neoliberalism
2) Apply theoretical concepts (such as postcolonialism, postmodernism, and feminism) to their reading and analysis.
3) Create independent analyses of the different cultural and historical contexts of post-imperial literatures
4) Deploy sophisticated close reading skills to allow for complex comparative analyses of literary forms
5) Conduct self-directed research that expands upon discussions undertaken in lectures and seminars through reference to appropriate scholarly sources
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