Fall 1998 Postcolonial Courses

• Fall 1998 courses
• Spring 1998 courses

789J: Postcolonialism at the End of the Century

Fall 1998 Thurs 4-7 pm

The time has come for a sober re-examination of what many have come to regard as a contentious but by now entrenched field in the academy: the enterprise of postcolonial studies. Having risen with speed in the last quarter of the century, postcolonialism might count as one of the metropolitan academy's millenial events. This course will undertake an assessment of the major theoretical formulations of postcolonial theory, a survey of its major literary texts, and evaluate predictions regarding its future trajectory.

Texts: A selection of postcolonial fiction and theory by writers originating in Africa, Asia, and other postcolonies, including such figures as Frantz Fanon, Albert Memmi, Aime Cesaire, Chinweizu, Homi Bhabha, Edward Said, Gayatri Chakravarty Spivak, Salman Rushdie, Paul Gilroy, Rey Chow, Aijaz Ahmad, Ella Shohat, Arundhati Roy, Jill Ker Conway, Amitav Ghosh, George Lamming.

ENG 389J: The Postcolonial Novel TR 1-2:15

Cross-listed with Asian Studies 375J WRT: YES

Dr. Deepika Petraglia-Bahri TR 1-2:15

The rise of the new novel in the former colonies of the British empire--India, Australia, Nigeria, Kenya, Zimbabwe and various other parts of the world--has ushered in the exciting new field of transnational cultural study. This course will introduce students to fiction from around the world by authors who have won major international awards. As the empire writes back, new worlds float into our ken and we are obliged to ponder the important topics of nationalism, language, identity, transnationalism, multiculturalism, diasporic experience, and identity. Join in this exciting voyage into new worlds through postcolonial literature.

Texts: Authors include Salman Rushdie, Amitav Ghosh, Arundhati Roy, Jamaica Kincaid, Sunetra Gupta.

Requirements: A brief oral report, two 7-10 page papers, participation in classroom discussions, and a web project.

Texts you are likely to encounter in this course:

Spring 1998 Postcolonial Courses

ENG 789L: Global Cultures

Spring 1998 Monday 1-4pm

Globalization and transnationalism pose a potent challenge to spatially territorialized notions of culture and to assumptions about identity and difference. Colonialism, postcolonial displacement in its wake, and transnational cultural and capital flows oblige us to reinvestigate our notions of the global and the local and to include consideration of the following: new modes of cultural expression and identity-formation (including cosmopolitanism, global green citizenship, multiply-affiliated identities) as well as new modalities of expression (including new technologies of representation such as the internet, pirate radio, CD-Roms). Investigating global cultures in transition, this course will examine postcolonial literature, theory, and cultural work produced within the new world (b)order; it will also include some examination of the production of deterritorialized identities and cultures through the new media of our times.

Texts: ENG 789 will include works by writers such as Salman Rushdie, Amitav Ghosh, Sunetra Gupta, M. G. Vassanji, and theorists such as Homi Bhabha, Bruce Robbins, Gayatri Chakravarty Spivak, Edward Said, Chandra Talpade Mohanty, Inderpal Grewal, Caren Kaplan, Arjun Appadurai, music by "WOMAD" artists like Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, "Bhangle" artists (British techno-pop with various "immigrant" rhythms), film/video work and performative pieces by artists such as Guillermo Gomez-Pena and Coco Fusco.

Requirements: A brief presentation, one research paper, and possibly a web project.

ENG 389L: Indian Subcontinental Literature in English

Cross-listed with Asian Studies 370M Spring 1998 WRT: YES

Dr. Deepika Petraglia-Bahri MWF 10:40-11:30

The list of successful subcontinental writers in English grows with every passing year. Some, like Salman Rushdie, have become household names. Others, like Vikram Seth and Arundhati Roy, command sensational advances in the international book trade, or, like Romesh Gunesekera, receive nominations for the prestigious Booker prize for their very first novels. On the occasion of the 50th anniversary of Pakistani and Indian independence, this course celebrates the contributions made by writers from the Indian Subcontinent to the field of English Literature.

Texts: ENG 389 will include works by writers such as Bapsi Sidhwa, Salman Rushdie, Romesh Gunesekera, Anita Desai, Arundhati Roy, Shyam Selvadurai, Shashi Tharoor (among others), and a complementary selection of films, videos, and music produced by artists from the subcontinent to provide a richer understanding of the literature.

Requirements: A brief presentation, two 7-10 page papers, participation in classroom discussions, and possibly a web project.

For further information on contemporary subcontinental writers and filmmakers, click here

 Postcolonial Studies at Emory

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