ENGL 3881 - Postcolonial Literature and Theory

Prerequisite: An English course numbered between 2001 and 2907 and another English course numbered between 2200 and 2909.
FDR: Literature Distribution (HL)
Credits: 3

This course is an introduction to some of the key concepts and debates in postcolonial theory, with an emphasis on Caribbean literature and anti-colonial thought. We will grapple with three main questions that have shaped the field as we know it: 1. When and where is the “postcolonial”? 2. How does the legacy of colonialism shape modern day understandings of race, ethnicity and culture? And 3. What does the legacy of colonialism mean for the environmental crises we face today? These broad concepts (temporality, racial formations and ecological challenges) are grounded in the study of key theoretical texts, including the works of Frantz Fanon, and in novels and poems, including those by W.E.B. Du Bois, Michelle Cliff and Suzanne Césaire.