[ENGL 604-4] Postcolonial Theory and Literature

Course Title: Postcolonial Theory and Literature

Course Description

The study of literatures and cultures produced in the former colonies of European empires, analyzing cultural, environmental, and political changes.

Learning Outcomes

Upon successful completion of this course, students will be able to:

• Understand and articulate key concepts in postcolonial theory.
• Analyze literary texts through the lens of postcolonial criticism.
• Critically examine historical, cultural, and political contexts of postcolonial literature.

Course Contents

Unit I: Discourse of Imperialism and Its Critique (12 Hours)

1. Christopher Columbus, "The Letter of Christopher Columbus on the Discovery of America"
2. Edmund Burke, "Speech in the Impeachment of Warren Hastings"
3. Edward W. Said, from Orientalism (Introduction to the 1994 edition)
4. Amé Césaire, from Discourse on Colonialism
5. Charlotte Brontë, Jane Eyre (1847)

Unit II: Women, Subaltern and Postcoloniality (12 Hours)

1. Ranjit Guha, "On Some Aspects of the Historiography of Colonial India"
2. Gayatri Spivak, "Three Women's Texts and a Critique of Imperialism"
3. Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni, The Mistress of Spice (1997)
4. Mahasweta Devi, Mother of 1084 (1974)

Unit III: Nation, Narratives, and Culture (12 Hours)

1. Frantz Fanon, "Of National Culture"
2. Derek Walcott, "The Caribbean: Culture and Mimicry"
3. Homi K. Bhabha, "Of Mimicry and Man: The Ambivalence of Colonial Discourse"
4. Amitav Ghosh, The Shadow Lines (1998)
5. Derek Walcott, Dream on Monkey Mountain (1970)

Unit IV: Globalization, Diaspora, and Postcoloniality (12 Hours)

1. Stuart Hall, "Thinking the Diaspora: Home—Thoughts from Abroad"
2. Arif Dirlik, "The Postcolonial Aura: Third World Criticism in the Age of Global Capitalism"
3. Gaiutra Bahadur, Coolie Woman: The Odyssey of Indenture (2014)
4. Mohsin Hamid, The Reluctant Fundamentalist (2007)

Evaluation Scheme

Internal Evaluation

External Examination

Prescribed Text

Desai, Gaurav and Supriya Nair, eds. Postcolonialisms: An Anthology of Cultural Theory and Criticism. Rutgers UP, 2005.