Spring 2006 Courses

English 367: Postcolonial Theory (Moore)

M 7:00-10:00 pm, CAR 404

One of the past century’s most profound transformations was decolonization:  the end of direct European rule over vast areas of the earth.  The worlds of cultural and political analysis have both contributed and responded to this transformation, producing a forceful body of writings we name colonial and postcolonial critique.  This course examines key docu­ments, questions, and themes in that vast body of writing.

The course is recommended for sophomores and above who have already begun serious work in any of a range of disciplines (political science, literature, history, anthropology, etc.) in which colonial, post-colonial, or first/third world encounters are assessed.

The course begins with classic statements by Fanon, Césaire, Ngugi and Walcott, on psychology, mimicry, and resistance.  The mid-point is Edward Said’s Orientalism.  From there we cover anthropolgy, ecofeminism, the US, the former Soviet sphere, the growing institutionalization of post-colonial studies, and more.  Two novels, by Ferdinand Oyono and V. S. Naipaul, will provide important thematizations of course subjects. 

Spring 2006 Course Listings