Postcolonial Theory s1

ENGLISH 111b Postcolonial Theory Spring 2015 Tuesdays/Fridays 12:30-1:50pm

Professor Ulka Anjaria Phone: (781) 736-2162 Email: [email protected] Office Hours: Fridays 10am-12pm Office: Rabb 239

This seminar will introduce students to the key concepts in postcolonial theory as it has developed in its metropolitan, institutional form since the early 1980s, and by way of its intellectual and political precursors. Through careful readings of theoretical texts, we will interrogate the ramifications of European colonialism and its aftermath for politics, culture and literature around the world, as well as for the way we understand and know the Other. We will situate these questions within ongoing issues in public culture and interrogate the usefulness of postcolonial theory for understanding the world today. By the end of the course, students should have the following skills:

 familiarity with the key concepts of postcolonial theory  familiarity with the histories of colonialism and nationalism in South Asia, Africa and the Caribbean  skills in close reading difficult theoretical texts  understanding of the methodology of colonial discourse analysis and how it can be used to understand contemporary issues  an appreciation for texts from cultures different from their own

Required Texts (available at Brandeis bookstore):

Ania Loomba, Colonialism/ Postcolonialism Edward Said, Orientalism Henry Louis Gates Jr. (ed.), “Race,” Writing, and Difference Course reader

Course Requirements:

1 Attendance and Class Participation:

This intensive seminar in postcolonial theory will require careful, studied completion of the class readings, regular attendance, active engagement, and class participation. Although the number of pages we will read weekly is not usually large, the readings are often difficult. This makes class discussion – in which we will proceed slowly through the readings to ensure full comprehension – absolutely essential. For this reason, three unexcused absences will be grounds for failing the course. In addition, students are required to bring copies of the day’s readings to class in print form. Failure to do so will count against your participation grade. I also ask that due to the small size and intensive nature of the course, laptop computers not be brought into the classroom. This will make a more intimate setting for all of us. Medical exceptions should be discussed with me in the first week of the semester.

Religious Exemptions: Please inform me as early as possible about any anticipated absences due to religious holidays, and be prepared to make up the work missed on those days. For a full description of Brandeis’s regulations governing coursework and religious observance, please see http://www.brandeis.edu/das/downloads/AcademicCourseworkandReligiousObservations .pdf.

Athletic Exemptions: Participation in an intercollegiate sport must be documented in a letter from the Athletic Director and presented to me at the beginning of the semester, accompanied by a schedule for the season. Class sessions missed due to travel for athletic events should be made up in consultation with the instructor. For the full guidelines on conflicts between coursework and intercollegiate athletic competition, please see http://www.brandeis.edu/das/downloads/GuidelinesforAthletes.pdf.

Assignments:

1) Short Papers You will write three short papers (3-4 pages each), one for each of our three course modules. These will be in the model of the précis, or summary. In these papers, you are not required to advance any original argument, but to attempt to make sense of the module as a whole and, as the course moves forward, locate its logic within the overall syllabus. You should reference individual readings, but the goal is to see how well you understand the significance of the readings as they fit into the module as a whole, so extensive citations are not necessary. Late papers will be graded down 2 points per day late.

2) Postcolonialism Today Paper You will write a 5-page paper using postcolonial theory (specifically, colonial discourse analysis, which we will study in the first third of the semester) to analyze a contemporary text of your choice – which could be from the popular media, current events, a newspaper article, a television travel show, etc. You will analyze the text for what it says about the continuing presence of colonial knowledge structures in our contemporary world. Examples will be given in

2 class. Please discuss/email your choice of topic to me in advance so that we don’t have repeat topics. Late papers will be graded down 2 points per day late.

2a) In-class presentation As part of this assignment, each student will make a short in-class presentation on her/his topic in class on March 6 or 10. You will be graded on your analysis of your topic and the clarity and persuasiveness of your presentation.

3) Hybridity Paper For the final paper, you will write a 5-6 page paper in which you will analyze a cultural form, an artistic or literary text, or a political issue through the lens of postcolonial theory, focusing on theories of migrancy and hybridity. Engagement with at least three theoretical works from the second half of the syllabus is required. Feel free to consult with me on your topic. Late papers will be graded down 2 points per day late.

NOTE: Plagiarism will be treated as a serious offense and will be penalized. All references must be fully cited. If you are unclear about what constitutes plagiarism, or unsure of how to cite your sources appropriately, please consult with me, or with the “Student Resources” information on the following Brandeis webpage: http://lts.brandeis.edu/courses/instruction/academic- integrity/index.html

Grading: Attendance: 10% Participation: 10% Short papers 35% Postcolonialism Today paper: 20% Postcolonialism Today presentation: 5% Hybridity paper: 20%

NOTE FOR GRADUATE STUDENTS: The attendance, participation, short papers, and presentation requirements are the same – except that the short papers should be 5 pages each. Graduate students do not have to complete the midterm or final paper assignments although they should still make the in-class presentation for the Postcolonialism Today assignment. Their final paper should be 12-15 pages, on a topic of their choice, and should demonstrate scholarly engagement with the topics at a level commensurate with the degree sought (MA or PhD). I will hand out a supplementary reading list for graduate students. Graduate students should meet with me individually at the beginning of the semester to discuss their individual goals for the course.

**If you need academic accommodations because of a documented disability you should contact me, and present your letter of accommodation in the first week of class. If you have questions about documenting a disability or requesting academic accommodations you should contact Beth Rodgers-Kay in Academic Services at 6-3470. Letters of accommodations should be

3 presented at the start of the semester to ensure provision of accommodations. Accommodations cannot be granted retroactively.

Course Schedule:

January 13- introduction to course

Module I: Colonialism

January 16- Loomba, pp. 7-22; “Binarism” (pp. 23-27); Jamaica Kincaid, “On Seeing England For the First Time”

January 20- Michel Foucault, “The Examination” (pp. 184-92); Edward Said, Introduction to Orientalism (pp. 1-28); Loomba, pp. 37-46

January 23- Edward Said, Orientalism (pp. 31-49, 149-166, 201-211); Loomba, pp. 46-50

January 27- Mary Louise Pratt, “Scratches on the Face of the Country” (RWD) and “From the Victoria Nyanza to the Sheraton San Salvador”; Loomba, pp. 53-62

January 30- Loomba pp. 62-72; Patrick Brantlinger, “Victorians and Africans” (RWD); Chinua Achebe, “An Image of Africa”

February 3- Loomba, pp. 115-128; Frantz Fanon, Black Skin, White Masks (pp. 109-122 and 141-173); Gwen Bergner, “Who is that Masked Woman? or The Role of Gender in Fanon’s Black Skin White Masks”

February 6- Gayatri Chakravorty Spivak, “Three Women’s Texts and a Critique of Imperialism” (pp. 262-273) (RWD); Edward Said, “Jane Austen and Empire”

February 10- Chandra Talpade Mohanty, “Under Western Eyes” (pp. 51-66); Lata Mani, “Production of an Official Discourse on Sati in Early Nineteenth Century Bengal”; Loomba pp. 128-145

February 13- Frantz Fanon, “Algeria Unveiled”; Edward Said, Orientalism (pp. 284-293, 302- 328); Lila Abu-Lughod, “Do Muslim Women Really Need Saving?”; Loomba, pp. 128-145

February 17- NO CLASS

February 20- NO CLASS

February 24- Talal Asad, “On Torture, or Cruel, Inhuman, and Degrading Treatment”; Priyamvada Gopal, “Burqas and Bikinis” (online link); watch the first 10 minutes of Kony 2012

4 video (online link) – and, in response: Teju Cole, “The White Savior Industrial Complex” (online link); “A History of Violence” (online link) – and in response, “Dear Sisters (and Brothers?) at Harvard” and “What is wrong with this picture?” (online links)

SHORT PAPER #1 DUE 5pm, February 25

Module II: Nationalism

February 27- Loomba, pp. 154-165; Jawaharlal Nehru, The Discovery of India (pp. 49-68)

March 3- Albert Memmi, The Colonizer and the Colonized (pp. 119-141); Léopold Senghor, “Negritude: A humanism of the twentieth century”; Loomba, pp. 176-179

March 6- PRESENTATIONS on Assignment 1; PAPER DUE at the beginning of class.

March 10- PRESENTATIONS on Assignment 1

March 13- M.K. Gandhi “Faith in Indian Civilization” and “Swaraj, Freedom, and Independence”; Franz Fanon, The Wretched of the Earth (pp. 206-235)

March 17- Ngugi wa Thiong’o, “The Language of African Literature” (pp. 4-13, 16-20, 26-30); Chinua Achebe, “The African Writer and the English Language”; Interview with Binyavanga Wainaina (sound recording on LATTE); Loomba, pp. 79-82

March 20- Emma Tarlo, “Gandhi and the Recreation of Indian Dress” (pp. 62-93) and “Khadi: Fabric of Unity or Fabric of Difference?” (pp. 101-117)

March 24- Deniz Kandiyoti, “Identity and Its Discontents”; Loomba pp. 165-170 and 180-192; David Hardiman, Introduction to The Coming of the Devi (1-17)

March 27- Aamir Mufti, “A Greater Short-Story Writer Than God” and “Secularism and Minority” (pp. 79-81 and 87-91)

March 31- Homi Bhabha, Introduction to Nation and Narration

SHORT PAPER #2 DUE 5pm, April 2

April 3- NO CLASS

April 7- NO CLASS

April 10- NO CLASS

Module III: Migrancy and Hybridity

5 April 14- Jean Bernabé, Patrick Chamoiseau, Raphaël Confiant, “In Praise of Creoleness” (pp. 886-896 and 902-end); Stuart Hall, “Cultural Identity and Diaspora”

April 17- Paul Gilroy, The Black Atlantic (pp. 19-29 and 187-196); Simon Gikandi, Maps of Englishness (pp. 9-14 and 190-224)

April 21- Paul Gilroy, “It Ain’t where you’re from, it’s where you’re At”; Gayatri Gopinath, “‘Bombay, UK, Yuba City’: Bhangra Music and the Engendering of Diaspora”

April 24- Loomba, pp. 145-153; Homi Bhabha, “Signs Taken for Wonders” (RWD); Homi Bhabha, “Of Mimicry and Man”

April 28- Nestor García Canclini, Hybrid Cultures (pp. 230-241); Iain Chambers, “An Impossible Homecoming” (pp. 1-7); Giorgio Agamben, “We Refugees.” SHORT PAPER #3 DUE at the beginning of class

Final PAPER due 5pm, May 1 for seniors Final PAPER due 5pm, May 8 for non-seniors