Writing B(l)ack in the Union Jack
Content
Due to its colonial legacy, British society is characterised by complex social, cultural and racial encounters. By introducing students to the works of Black and Asian writers in Britain, this seminar offers historically informed literary and cultural contexts for an understanding of contemporary British multi-ethnic society. Dealing with literary representations of diasporic identities, students will engage with the questions of belonging, the search for identity, the concept of ‘home’ and the hybrid notion of living ‘in-between’ two cultures.
Objectives
Focusing on Britain’s diverse cultural heritage, students will explore a wide spectrum of literary and theoretical texts from a postcolonial perspective, ranging from Sam Selvon’s novel The Lonely Londoners (1956), Buchi Emecheta’s semi-autobiographical text Second-Class Citizen (1974), Hanif Kureishi’s film-script (and film) My Beautiful Laundrette (1985), Meera Syal’s novel Anita and Me (1996), and sit coms, short stories, poems and critical essays by selected authors. Thus, students will get an in-depth knowledge of the literary, cultural and socio-historical contexts in and against which Black and Asian British literature is written and read.
Prerequisites
A completed BA in English.
Requirements for credit
Active participation in every session of the class based on students’ close readings of the selected texts is required.
Set texts
Emecheta, Buchi (1974): Second-Class Citizen. Allison & Busby, London.
Kureishi, Hanif (1985): My Beautiful Laundrette. Filmscript.
Selvon, Sam (1956): The Lonely Londoners. Longman.
Syal, Meera (1996): Anita and Me. Flamingo.
A reader with selected poems, short stories and theoretical texts will be provided at the beginning of the semester (OPAL).
Content
Due to its colonial legacy, British society is characterised by complex social, cultural and racial encounters. By introducing students to the works of Black and Asian writers in Britain, this seminar offers historically informed literary and cultural contexts for an understanding of contemporary British multi-ethnic society. Dealing with literary representations of diasporic identities, students will engage with the questions of belonging, the search for identity, the concept of ‘home’ and the hybrid notion of living ‘in-between’ two cultures.
Objectives
Focusing on Britain’s diverse cultural heritage, students will explore a wide spectrum of literary and theoretical texts from a postcolonial perspective, ranging from Sam Selvon’s novel The Lonely Londoners (1956), Buchi Emecheta’s semi-autobiographical text Second-Class Citizen (1974), Hanif Kureishi’s film-script (and film) My Beautiful Laundrette (1985), Meera Syal’s novel Anita and Me (1996), and sit coms, short stories, poems and critical essays by selected authors. Thus, students will get an in-depth knowledge of the literary, cultural and socio-historical contexts in and against which Black and Asian British literature is written and read.
Prerequisites
A completed BA in English.
Requirements for credit
Active participation in every session of the class based on students’ close readings of the selected texts is required.
Set texts
Emecheta, Buchi (1974): Second-Class Citizen. Allison & Busby, London.
Kureishi, Hanif (1985): My Beautiful Laundrette. Filmscript.
Selvon, Sam (1956): The Lonely Londoners. Longman.
Syal, Meera (1996): Anita and Me. Flamingo.
A reader with selected poems, short stories and theoretical texts will be provided at the beginning of the semester (OPAL).