(VL) What is Postcolonialism? An Introduction and Survey

Gayatri Spivak has argued that we live in a "post-colonial neo-colonized world" (1990, 166). But what does that really mean? What is colonialism, post-colonialism, globalisation, and what have these phenomena to do with Europe, with the UK, and with English literature?
This lecture provides a comprehensive introduction to postcolonial literature as well as to the methods and approaches of postcolonial theory. During the first part of the lecture we will take a look at the history of British/English colonialism and then explore definitions of colonialism and postcolonialism. During the second part we will concentrate on the main theoretical concepts such as orientalism (Said), knowledge and power (Foucault), and hybridity and 'Third Space' (Bhabha). Finally, we will put our knowledge into practice and work with a representative selection of colonial and postcolonial short stories.

A syllabus and comprehensive bibliography will be made available during the first session. Further materials will be provided online (via OPAL).