ENGL 48 Critical Issues in Postcolonial Studies

This course charts one genealogy of postcolonial theory as it developed in the Anglo-American academy in the 1980s. Drawing on the two internationalist traditions of the late nineteenth and twentieth century, Marxism and Psychoanalysis, this course examines the ways in which these two theoretical frameworks helped construct postcolonial thinking while at the same time becoming the sites of its most rigorous critique. The course will begin with an introduction to some of the key concepts in Marxist and psychoanalytic thought, specifically as these two traditions understand colonialism. Then, we will read the work of postcolonial thinkers, such as Frantz Fanon, Edward Said, Gayatri Spivak, and Homi Bhabha, to consider their critiques of colonial thought and practices. Throughout the course, we will attend to the way in which racial and sexual difference is considered in the readings. The theoretical material for the course will be supplemented with our engagement with four films: Xala (Dir. Ousmane Sembène, 1975); The Battle of Algiers (Dir. Gillo Pontecorvo, 1966); Fire (Dir. Deepa Mehta, 1996); Frantz Fanon: Black Skin, White Mask (Dir. Isaac Julien, 1996).

 

Degree Requirement Attributes

Dist:INT or LIT; WCult:NW

The Timetable of Class Meetings contains the most up-to-date information about a course. It includes not only the meeting time and instructor, but also its official distributive and/or world culture designation. This information supersedes any information you may see elsewhere, to include what may appear in this ORC/Catalog or on a department/program website. Note that course attributes may change term to term therefore those in effect are those (only) during the term in which you enroll in the course.

Department-Specific Course Categories

Course Group IV