Präsenz-Seminar: V1218 Postcolonial Theories and Literatures; PO 2022: MAG-Eng-1C; MAGEu-Eng-1B; MAS-Eng-1A/1B/3B/3D; MASEu-Eng-1A/1B/2B; ErMAS-Eng-8B/8C/8R; PO 2018: MAP-Eng-1C; MAPEu-Eng-1W; MAS-Eng-1W1/1W2/3W/3R MASEu-Eng-1W1/1W2/2W; ErMAS-Eng-8W/8R - Details

Allgemeine Informationen

Veranstaltungsname	Präsenz-Seminar: V1218 Postcolonial Theories and Literatures; PO 2022: MAG-Eng-1C; MAGEu-Eng-1B; MAS-Eng-1A/1B/3B/3D; MASEu-Eng-1A/1B/2B; ErMAS-Eng-8B/8C/8R; PO 2018: MAP-Eng-1C; MAPEu-Eng-1W; MAS-Eng-1W1/1W2/3W/3R MASEu-Eng-1W1/1W2/2W; ErMAS-Eng-8W/8R
Veranstaltungsnummer	V1218
Semester	Ws 2025/26
Aktuelle Anzahl der Teilnehmenden	28
Heimat-Einrichtung	Englisch
Veranstaltungstyp	Präsenz-Seminar in der Kategorie Veranstaltung
Nächster Termin	Montag, 01.12.2025 14:00 - 15:30, Ort: (3.311)
Art/Form	Präsenz-Seminar

Lehrende

• Prof. Dr. Isabel Martin

Tutor/-in

• Sarah Löhle

Räume und Zeiten

(3.311)

Montag: 14:00 - 15:30, wöchentlich (14x)

(PH Sporthalle, Moltkestraße 10)

Freitag, 07.11.2025 19:00 - 21:30

Studienbereiche

Kommentar/Beschreibung

"More than any other, the Age of Empire cries out for demystification, just because we – and that includes the historians – are no longer in it, but do not know how much of it is still in us.” (E. J. Hobsbawm)

This LIT/CULT introduction to Postcolonial Theories and short fiction from the global South starts with a survey of colonial history and then focuses on the development of postcolonial theories and the present discourse of decolonization and Decoloniality. It continues with a revision of Narratology and literary devices to (re-)activate students’ literary reading and decoding skills. Short stories with a postcolonial focus are selected to illustrate how manifestations of the Western binary episteme (system of knowledge/understanding), i.e. Eurocentric concepts, privileges, practices, and discourses are narratologically deconstructed, de-centered, and reconstructed. The stories are analysed following a systematic textual approach to show how exactly they achieve this, for instance by an Unreliable Narrator manipulating the Implied Reader.

Thus, the first sessions clarify post-/colonial geo-political history and theories and Narratology to provide a basis for the discussions of the stories in the later part of the seminar. Within this framework, there is room for suggestions by the participants for other topics, stories (also poems), digital art, or related cultural artifacts .

"The Empire Writes Back to the Centre" (1989) was the first theoretical anthology exploring the proliferation of post-colonial literature and its relation to post-colonial culture and the English language. The short story genre lends itself to the exploration of this shifting paradigm as it aims to foreground pertinent, contentious questions. At the same time, social and other digital media transport these questions into the realm of political activism, thereby reaching a larger and younger audience. New writing (or singing or performing) envisions and shapes a more equitable, decolonial future, and can be critical, parodying, celebratory, or corrective. The stories engage readers to participate in this negotiation and formulate their own ideas about social justice and possible reparations; they also trigger the process of decolonising one’s own mind, language, and teaching.

Structure: One or sometimes two stories are chosen for each session (depending on the size of the class), which are prepared by a "student expert group" together with the course leader in two consultations. They develop study questions for the analysis and interpretation of the text(s), which are uploaded by Thursday for the Monday session. Additional study material is offered on the StudIP "Courseware", e.g. secondary literature, videos, images, or interviews. Participants read and annotate the assigned story and answer 3-4 study questions in advance of the session as a pre-activity (formerly called "homework"). This weekly (home-) work is compulsory for all participants. The preparation of a Courseware block (reading/viewing, questions) is technically assisted by the course tutor.

Topics: Colonialism & Coloniality, Postcolonial Theories, Narratology, Decolonise Your Mind, "Black" Literature, "Black Women Writers", Intersectionality, Institutionalised Racism & any other suggestions by students.

Organisation: StudIP. A selection of stories will be uploaded in the "Files", but suggestions of other stories are welcome.