Intersecting Worlds: Race and Gender in the Contemporary Postcolonial Novel

This module will introduce students to poscolonial literary studies through two key conceptions of identity: race and gender.

The module will engage with the contemporary postcolonial novel (to be updated yearly), as it engenders critical insight into race and racism, gender and sexual identity and their intersections. It will introduce students to the vocabulary of critical race and gender theories as well as intersectionality as part of the development of literary analytic and critical reading skills.

At the end of the module, students will be proficient in literary analysis and have a familiarity with key concepts in postcolonial studies.

Prerequisites

None

Objectives and learning outcomes of the module

On successful completion of the module a student would be able to:

• Interpet the major theories in critical race and gender theories
• Determine which theoretical approaches are most appropriate in analyzing particular literatures
• Develop theoretical arguments within the field of postcolonial studies
• Develop critical writing skills

Workload

This module is taught over the course of 10 weeks and consists of a 2 hour lecture and 1 seminar per week

Method of assessment

• 30% Portfolio (1500 words)
• 70% Essay (2000 words) OR Virtual Presentation/Podcast (10 minutes)
• Exact assessment deadline dates are published on the relevant module Moodle/BLE page.

Suggested reading

• Fanon, F. (2008). Black skin, white masks. London: Pluto.
• Gilroy, P. (1992). 'There ain't no black in the Union Jack': The cultural politics of race and nation. London: Routledge.
• Chow, R. (2002). The protestant ethnic and the spirit of capitalism. New York ; Chichester: Columbia University Press.
• Mamdani, M. (2005). Good Muslim, bad Muslim: Islam, the USA, and the global war against terror. Delhi: Permanent Black.
• Mohanty, C. T. (January 01, 1984). Under Western eyes: Feminist scholarship and colonial discourses. Boundary 2 (print), 333-358.
• Fischer-Tiné, H., & Gehrmann, S. (2009). Empires and boundaries: Rethinking race, class, and gender in colonial settings. New York: Routledge.
• Burton, A. M. (2011). Empire in question: Reading, writing, and teaching British imperialism. Durham: Duke University Press.

Suggested novels:

• Hamid, M. (2007). The reluctant fundamentalist. London: Hamish Hamilton.
• Ṣāliḥ, a., & Johnson-Davies, D. (1997). Season of migration to the north. Boulder: Lynne Rienner.
• Smith, Z. (2005). On beauty: A novel.

Disclaimer

Important notice regarding changes to programmes and modules