Empire and the Postcolonial: Race Genders, Sexualities

Prerequisites

None.

Objectives and learning outcomes of the module

At the end of a course, a student should be able to . . .

• Develop a deep understanding of race, diaspora and sexualities
• Critically read and react to literary texts
• Develop a reflective approach
• Undertake independent research and complete it successfully
• Critically read and react to literary texts

Workload

This course will be taught over 10 weeks with 2 hours classroom contact per week in seminars/tutorials.

Scope and syllabus

What kind of racialised, gendered selves get produced at the conjecture of the transnational and the postcolonial? What is the transnational and the postcolonial? How is self and subjectivity constructed in postcolonial fictions? This course will aim to answer some of these questions by offering a historical, theoretical and literary understanding of slavery and indentured labor, the material aspects of migrant labor and livelihood, the experiences of displacement and homelessness, the ideologies of ‘home’ and nation, the cultures of diaspora, the politics of multiculturalism, and issues relating to race (racism), sexuality and gender.

Method of assessment

One 1,000-word essay to be submitted on Friday, week 5, in the term in which the course is taught (30%); one 2,500-word essay to be submitted on Friday, week 11, in the term in which the course is taught (50%); one recorded or in-class presentation (10%); participation and presentation throughout the course (10%).

Suggested reading

Core reading

• Rudyard Kipling, Selected Short Stories

• E.M. Forster, A Passage to India

• Muhammad Iqbal, Selected Poems

• Mahmoud Darwish, Memory for Forgetfulnes

• Anita Desai, In Custody

  Reading Week

• Jamaica Kincaid, The Autobiography of My Mother

• Leila Aboulela, Minaret

• Abdulrazak Gurnah, By the Sea

• Marlon James, A Brief History of Seven Killings

• Khalid Hosseini, The Kite Runner

Disclaimer

Important notice regarding changes to programmes and modules