As a term that circulates most widely in literary and cultural studies, the “postcolonial” is fundamentally associated with ideas and arguments about representation (and related concepts of language, discourse, tradition, and subjectivity). In this course, we will therefore, on the one hand, examine the relationship between the postcolonial (or “postcoloniality”) and representation: What is the role of representation in the constitution (or imagination) of the postcolonial? And what literary forms, narratives, and experiments emerge from postcolonial conditions or situations? On the other hand, we will question and examine the relationship between the postcolonial as a cultural formation and historical processes of colonialism, decolonization, and neocolonialism, rooted in economic exploitation and political domination. How does the postcolonial, with its interest in cultural entanglement and transaction (hybridity, mimicry, transculturation) complicate the articulation of antagonism and conflict that is essential to anti-colonial and decolonial encounters and struggles? Can the postcolonial offer critical reinterpretations of influential political arguments derived from European modernity, such as liberalism, Marxism, feminism, and poststructuralist theorizations of power? What role do (or might) literary and cultural creativity play in this pursuit of change? We will address and discuss such questions through readings and analyses of both literary and theoretical texts from different regional and historical contexts.
After active participation in the course, students should be able to
- Understand key concepts and arguments in the field of postcolonial studies and recognize their relevance in discussions of diverse texts;
- Examine and discuss a selection of literary texts and cultural productions from a postcolonial perspective based on relevant research and analysis;
- Construct and express their own arguments on critical issues in postcolonial studies while engaging with the viewpoints of others;
- Demonstrate an awareness of the relationship between literary and cultural productions and diverse histories of colonialism, decolonization, and neocolonialism;
- Write effective argumentative essays and communicate their ideas clearly in class and online forums while adhering to ethical standards of academic conduct.
We will meet for 3 contact hours per week on Thursdays from 4:30-7:20pm. Formal lectures and discussions will be supplemented by smaller group discussions in the third hour. Lectures will introduce concepts and relevant contexts and orient readings and discussion. Group discussions will be led by students and explore critical topics and questions with reference to weekly readings.
Active participation 15%
Leading a discussion and discussion report 15%
Mid-term essay (approx. 1200 words) 25%
Final essay (approx. 2500 words) 45%
Primary readings will include the following fictional and nonfictional texts and productions from the Caribbean, Africa, India, and Oceania. Students should acquire the two novels, The Kingdom of this World and Gun Island by themselves. The other texts are accessible online in the HKU Library or will be provided on Moodle.
- Carpentier, Alejo. The Kingdom of this World. 1949. Translated by Pablo Medina, Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2017. (Novel)
- Senior, Olive. Gardening in the Tropics. Bloodaxe Books, 1995. (Selected poems; e-book, republished 2005, accessible at HKU Library)
- Brazier, Chris, editor. Ten Years of the Caine Prize for African Writing. New Internationalist, 2009. (Selected short stories, e-book accessible at HKU Library)
- Maathai, Wangari. Unbowed: One Woman’s Story. William Heinemann, 2007. (Memoir; extracts)
- Roy, Arundhati. Walking with the Comrades. Kamasa, 2010 (Essay; accessible marxist.org)
- Ghosh Amitav. Gun Island. Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2019. (Novel; other editions, including e-book, acceptable)
- Hereniko, Vilsoni. Moana: The Rising of the Sea. The University of the South Pacific, 2013; and Moana Rua: The Rising of the Sea. The University of the South Pacific, 2015. (Performances; videos accessible online at HKU Library)
- Teaiwa, Katerina Martina. Consuming Ocean Island: Stories of People and Phosphate from Banaba. Indiana University Press, 2015. (Nonfiction; extracts; e-book accessible at HKU Library)
The primary readings will be discussed in dialog with a selection of representative theoretical and critical texts.