Postcolonial Interventions: Literature Media & Politics

Faculteit—

NiveauBachelor

Studiejaar2026-2027

Beschrijving

Course goals

After completing the course, students are able to:

demonstrate knowledge of postcolonial theories that are relevant for the understanding of our contemporary global world
articulate intellectual histories and stakes in using the terms decolonial, postcolonial, post-colonial, post/colonial, and anti-colonial
analyze and discuss gender, ethnicity, race, and diaspora in colonial history, postcolonial literatures, Global South/ Majority World films and new media
demonstrate understanding of mediated cultures within a transnational framework
question their ideas on value judgements for works of art, literature, cinema and new media that come from different aesthetics and political traditions
formulate research questions, to locate and interpret sources, to assess the significance of their own inquiry within the framework of current debates
select and specify a specific intervention into the field of postcolonial studies in relation to different topics, fields and events
report their research findings in oral and written form
demonstrate familiarity with canonical thinkers such as Fanon, Glissant, Hall, Hartman, Mbembe, Said, Spinoza, Spivak, and Wynter
understand stakes in using terms such as: Global North, Global South; First, Second, Third World; Majority World, minority/minorities, migrant, refugee, Europe, Mediterranean, Africa, Middle East, Arab.

Content

“We are here because you were there.” This is often the explanation of 'migrants' living in 'Europe' and feeling rejected and denied citizenship despite their clear link with the histories of European modernities, which are deeply entangled with those of colonialism and slavery. Postcolonial studies is an interdisciplinary field that engages varied histories and perspectives, rethinking the very lexica with which we engage our ways of understanding our citizenships and belongings. Our work is to probe silenced stories and marginal positions while accounting for alternative notions of agency and political participation, while even provoking the very notion of 'agency.' To explore ‘what lies beneath’ the official history and the dominant mainstream narrative of conquest and domination is often essential in order to understand the roots of present conflicts, based on territorial, identitarian or religious disputes. Postcolonial interventions contests the notion of the clash of civilizations between East and West, between the Global North and the Global South, and seeks to better engage the entanglement of history and politics through space and time. It does so also through the work of literature, art and media, which reflect upon contemporary patterns of migration, forms of representation, racial discourses, gender structures and questions of language and identity. Postcolonial criticism aims, therefore, to analyze the relation of power and resistance among different cultures, groups and subjects by providing alternative tools and methodologies that contest dominant forms of narration, representation and knowledge production.

How does postcolonial criticism unearth the problems of contemporary global society? What are the advantages of reading texts, films and societal events through a postcolonial lens? What are the limits and pitfalls of postcolonial theorizing and how do recent developments redirect the field towards new areas of studies?

In order to answer these questions, the course focuses on the principles of postcolonial and decolonial criticism, by reviewing major theorists and crucial debates. We read alongside critical canonical texts, literature and visual materials, combining theory with applied analysis. We do so by dialoguing with critical essays, reading novels, watching movies, questioning the role of photography, the news, and exhibitions. We will also focus on how postcolonial and decolonial criticism make an intervention into current issues such as transitional justice, repatriation of ethnographic objects, restitution, reparations, environmental issues and climate change, the cultural industry and digital media, which trespass the boundaries of the nation-state and affect the globe in unequal and uneven ways.

Format
The first session of the week is devoted to lecturing and presentation of the major issues at stake. The second session of the week is dedicated to film screenings, presentations, visits to exhibitions, participation in possible masterclasses and possible lectures by guest speakers in the related field.

The course counts as a LIT and MES track finisher.

Reviews0 reviews

Nog geen reviews voor dit vak. Wees de eerste!

Heb jij dit vak gevolgd?

Deel je ervaring met toekomstige studenten. Inloggen met je Universiteit Utrecht mailadres duurt één minuut.

Schrijf een review