CONN 379 | Postcolonial Literature and Theory

This course examines the literature produced by and about Britain's colonial spaces during the process of decolonization, from the late nineteenth-century to the present. It explores texts from Ireland, India, the Sudan, and Trinidad, as well as other former colonies and territories. Authors studied include Joseph Conrad, James Joyce, Tayeb Salih, Sam Selvon, Buchi Emecheta, Salman Rushdie, and Zadie Smith; theorists considered include Gayatri Spivak, Aijiz Ahmad, Homi Bhabha, John Boli, Benjamin Barber, and Lourdes Beneria. This course understands the term postcolonial in its broadest sense, with its focus spanning texts written under colonialism that argue for decolonization to texts that address such properly postcolonial issues as neocolonialism and globalization. The study of fiction and postcolonial theory is complemented by readings drawing from political theory, sociology, gender studies, and economics. Course requirements include active participation, discussion leadership, a conference-style presentation, two short essays, and a final project.