Political Science 793PC - S-Postcolonial Poli Thought

This course surveys some of the central texts of postcolonial theory. It begins with an examination of the foundational works in that field of study such as: Franz Fanon's "Black Skin, White Masks," Edward Said's "Orientalism," Homi Bhabha's "Nation and Narration," and Gayatri Spivak's "Can the Subaltern Speak?" The rest of the course is regionally and thematically organized to explore major writings in post-colonial theory from South Asia (Partha Chatterjee, Dipesh Chakrabarty), Sub-Saharan Africa (Ngugi wa Thiong'o, Achille Mbembe), the Caribbean (Paul Gilroy), and the Arab world (Abdullah Laroui, Joseph Massad). The course will also examine central themes in postcolonial thought such as theories of postcolonial difference and postcolonial feminism.

More generally, this course explores the following questions: how do non-western thinkers conceive of freedom, reason, equality, and political emancipation in the wake of a colonialism that has fundamentally re-shaped their modes of living and producing? In what ways do their formulations of these central concepts of European modernity embrace, question, critique, and/or cast doubt on their applicability to the post-colonial world? What alternatives, if any, do these thinkers put forward for the political future of their respective societies?

This course is open to Political Science Graduate students only.