Literature Of Empire

AY2023/2024 Semester 2

In this module we will be focusing on literature produced in response to the historical experience of Empire. We will look at the way in which literary narratives have been used to legitimize the imperial project - justifying its `civilizing mission', reinforcing certain racial stereotypes and hierarchies, and contributing to an archive of knowledge on colonial subjects and territories. However this complicity between literature and Empire is only part of the story. We will also be exploring the ambivalence that so often haunts the peripheries of imperial narratives, and examining the way in which literature has served to critique colonial ideologies and practices. Our discussion will be wide-ranging, both historically and geographically. Although literature will be our primary focus, the module will also include analyses of Herge's