(VL) “Can the Subaltern Speak?” – Postcolonial Theory and Literature II

“Can the Subaltern Speak?”, “Who has a voice?”, “How does Othering work?”, “To which extent is literature political?”, and “What is Post-Post Colonial?” In this lecture, we are going to find answers to these questions while reading excerpts of some of the best-known postcolonial novels of the last 20 years. We will discuss excerpts by Salman Rushdie, Arundhati Roy, Zadie Smith, Hanif Kureishi, Anuk Arudpragasam and others from the perspectives of postcolonial theory. This means that we will take a look at the processes of identity and community building after colonialism, discuss concepts such as ‘hybridity’, ‘globalisation’ and ‘neo-colonialism’ and focus on key concepts and theorists such as Edward Said, Homi K. Bhabha and Gayatri Spivak. Moreover, there will be guest lectures and interventions from colleagues from the University of Colombo. Although the lecture is called "Post-Colonial Theory and Literature II", it is also open to and recommended for students who have not yet come into contact with postcolonial theory or literature – they will be given a concise introduction in the first two weeks.

An extensive bibliography as well as text excerpts will be provided at the beginning of the term.