Comparative Literature: Comparative Colonialities (16:195:516)
Professor Yolanda Martínez-San Miguel
Mondays 2:00 to 5:00 p.m., Comparative Literature Seminarn Room, 195 College Avenue
This course reviews proposes a comparative study of colonialism by studying examples of Spanish, Anglo, French, Dutch and Japanese colonialism. The course will develop in three complementary directions. First, it will provide a general definition of colonialism, coloniality, postcolonialism and decoloniality (Said, Spivak, Bhabha, Osterhammel, Young, Loomba, Quijano, Mignolo, Sandoval, Maldonado Torres). Then, we will address the ways in which these debates have been inflected in four different geographical areas in which different colonialisms coexist and collide: the Caribbean, Latin America, Africa and the Pacific Islands. Finally, each one of these developments will be examined through cultural representations and symbolical productions to propose an alternative canon of post/de/colonial narratives that can be studied in a comparative framework.
Texts:
Most readings available on Sakai, electronic reserve. Some of the primary texts will be available at the Rutgers Bookstore (www.barnesandnoble.com):
Pané, Fray Ramón. An Account of the Antiquities of the Indians
Cortés, Hernán, Second Letter
Samuel Champlain, Narrative of a Voyage to the West Indies and Mexico in the Years 1599-1602.
Guaman Poma de Ayala, Nueva Corónica y Buen Gobierno-selections
Inca Garcilaso de la Vega, Royal Commentaries-selections
Carlos de Sigüenza y Góngora, Misfortunes of Alonso Ramírez
José Rizal, “The Indolence of the Philippino” and “Philippines 100 years Hence”
José Martí, “Our America”
Aimé Césaire, Discourse on Colonialism
Chinua Achebe, Things Fall Apart
Epeli Hau’ofa, We are the Ocean: Selected Works
Pramoedya Ananta Toer, This Earth of Mankind
Donato Ndongo, Shadows of Your Black Memory.
Pramoedya Ananta Toer, This Earth of Mankind
Tsitsi Dangarembga, Nervous Condition
Juan Tomas Avila Laurel, By Night the Mountain Burns
Junot Díaz, The Brief and Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao
Antonio Martorell, The Lettered Antilles
Tiphanie Yanique, Land of Love and Drowning
Evaluation:*
Class attendance and participation 10%
5 short reaction papers on primary readings 30%
Leading one of the class discussions with a short 15 minute presentation 10%
Critical review of one of the symposia held by CCA seminar on Archipelagoes 10%
Final paper proposal due on November 9, 2015 10%
Final 20-25 page paper due on January 14, 2016 30%
Program of Primary Literary readings:
(Secondary and critical readings will be announced at the beginning of classes)
Tuesday September 8: Introduction to class: Discussion of syllabus.
Colonialism, Postcolonialism, (De)coloniality
Jürgen Osterhammel, “Colonialism: A Definition.” Colonialism: A Theoretical Overview, pp. 15-22
Ania Loomba, Colonialism/Postcolonialism: “Chapter One: Situating Colonial and Postcolonial Studies,” pp. 7-23.
Edward Said, “Representing the Colonized: Anthropology's Interlocutors” Critical Inquiry, Vol. 15, No. 2 (Winter, 1989), pp. 205-225
Quijano, “Coloniality of Power, Eurocentrism and Latin America.” Nepantla: Views from South 1.3 (2000): 533-580.
Mignolo,Walter. “Delinking: The Rhetoric of Modernity, the Logic of Coloniality, and the Grammar of Decoloniality”
Maldonado Torres, Nelson. “On the Coloniality of Being: Contributions to the Development of a Concept.” Cultural Studies Vol. 21, Nos. 2-3 March/May 2007, pp. 240-270
Monday September 14: Colonialism in the 16th and 17th centuries: the Caribbean
Columbus, Letter to Luis de Santangel
Pané, Fray Ramón. An Account of the Antiquities of the Indians.
Samuel Champlain, Narrative of a Voyage to the West Indies and Mexico in the Years 1599-1602.
Carlos de Sigüenza y Góngora, Misfortunes of Alonso Ramírez
Monday September 21: Colonialism in the 16th and 17th centuries: Tierra Firme
Cortés, Hernán, Second Letter
Guaman Poma de Ayala, Nueva Corónica y Buen Gobierno-The Guaman Poma Website: http://www.kb.dk/permalink/2006/poma/info/en/frontpage.htm (selections)
Inca Garcilaso de la Vega, Royal Commentaries, Books 1 and 8.
Monday September 28: Nineteenth Century: The Caribbean and the Philippines
José Rizal, “The Indolence of the Philippino” and “Philippines 100 years Hence”
José Martí, “Our America”
José Martí, “Montecristi Manifesto”
Monday October 5: Back to the Caribbean: U.S. Virgin Islands
Tiphanie Yanique, Land of Love and Drowning
Aimé Césaire, Discourse on Colonialism
Monday October 12: Indonesia
Professor Janet Walker, Guest speaker.
Pramoedya Ananta Toer, This Earth of Mankind
Epeli Hau’ofa, “Our Sea of Islands,” We are the Ocean: Selected Works
Monday October 19: Indonesia
Pramoedya Ananta Toer, This Earth of Mankind
Monday October 26: Africa-Nigeria
Professor Ousseina Alidou-Guest Speaker.
Chinua Achebe, Things Fall Apart
Monday November 2: Africa-Rhodesia, Zimbabwe
Tsitsi Dangarembga, Nervous Condition
Monday November 9: Africa: Equatorial Guinea
Donato Ndongo, Shadows of Your Black Memory.
Monday November 16*-Class postponed-dinner at professor’s home in mid December
Monday November 23: Africa: Equatorial Guinea
Guest Speaker: Yomaira Figueroa, Michigan State University
Juan Tomas Avila Laurel, By Night the Mountain Burns
Monday December 7: The Caribbean and U.S. Latinos
Antonio Martorell, The Lettered Antilles
Junot Díaz, The Brief and Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao.
Extra class: Dinner at Professor’s home Monday December 14: Presentation of Final Paper Proposals
Paper due on January 14, 2016. (Date to be confirmed with students at the beginning of the semester)
Professor Yolanda Martínez-San Miguel
Mondays 2:00 to 5:00 p.m., Comparative Literature Seminarn Room, 195 College Avenue
This course reviews proposes a comparative study of colonialism by studying examples of Spanish, Anglo, French, Dutch and Japanese colonialism. The course will develop in three complementary directions. First, it will provide a general definition of colonialism, coloniality, postcolonialism and decoloniality (Said, Spivak, Bhabha, Osterhammel, Young, Loomba, Quijano, Mignolo, Sandoval, Maldonado Torres). Then, we will address the ways in which these debates have been inflected in four different geographical areas in which different colonialisms coexist and collide: the Caribbean, Latin America, Africa and the Pacific Islands. Finally, each one of these developments will be examined through cultural representations and symbolical productions to propose an alternative canon of post/de/colonial narratives that can be studied in a comparative framework.
Texts:
Most readings available on Sakai, electronic reserve. Some of the primary texts will be available at the Rutgers Bookstore (www.barnesandnoble.com):
Pané, Fray Ramón. An Account of the Antiquities of the Indians
Cortés, Hernán, Second Letter
Samuel Champlain, Narrative of a Voyage to the West Indies and Mexico in the Years 1599-1602.
Guaman Poma de Ayala, Nueva Corónica y Buen Gobierno-selections
Inca Garcilaso de la Vega, Royal Commentaries-selections
Carlos de Sigüenza y Góngora, Misfortunes of Alonso Ramírez
José Rizal, “The Indolence of the Philippino” and “Philippines 100 years Hence”
José Martí, “Our America”
Aimé Césaire, Discourse on Colonialism
Chinua Achebe, Things Fall Apart
Epeli Hau’ofa, We are the Ocean: Selected Works
Pramoedya Ananta Toer, This Earth of Mankind
Donato Ndongo, Shadows of Your Black Memory.
Pramoedya Ananta Toer, This Earth of Mankind
Tsitsi Dangarembga, Nervous Condition
Juan Tomas Avila Laurel, By Night the Mountain Burns
Junot Díaz, The Brief and Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao
Antonio Martorell, The Lettered Antilles
Tiphanie Yanique, Land of Love and Drowning
Evaluation:*
Class attendance and participation 10%
5 short reaction papers on primary readings 30%
Leading one of the class discussions with a short 15 minute presentation 10%
Critical review of one of the symposia held by CCA seminar on Archipelagoes 10%
Final paper proposal due on November 9, 2015 10%
Final 20-25 page paper due on January 14, 2016 30%
Program of Primary Literary readings:
(Secondary and critical readings will be announced at the beginning of classes)
Tuesday September 8: Introduction to class: Discussion of syllabus.
Colonialism, Postcolonialism, (De)coloniality
Jürgen Osterhammel, “Colonialism: A Definition.” Colonialism: A Theoretical Overview, pp. 15-22
Ania Loomba, Colonialism/Postcolonialism: “Chapter One: Situating Colonial and Postcolonial Studies,” pp. 7-23.
Edward Said, “Representing the Colonized: Anthropology's Interlocutors” Critical Inquiry, Vol. 15, No. 2 (Winter, 1989), pp. 205-225
Quijano, “Coloniality of Power, Eurocentrism and Latin America.” Nepantla: Views from South 1.3 (2000): 533-580.
Mignolo,Walter. “Delinking: The Rhetoric of Modernity, the Logic of Coloniality, and the Grammar of Decoloniality”
Maldonado Torres, Nelson. “On the Coloniality of Being: Contributions to the Development of a Concept.” Cultural Studies Vol. 21, Nos. 2-3 March/May 2007, pp. 240-270
Monday September 14: Colonialism in the 16th and 17th centuries: the Caribbean
Columbus, Letter to Luis de Santangel
Pané, Fray Ramón. An Account of the Antiquities of the Indians.
Samuel Champlain, Narrative of a Voyage to the West Indies and Mexico in the Years 1599-1602.
Carlos de Sigüenza y Góngora, Misfortunes of Alonso Ramírez
Monday September 21: Colonialism in the 16th and 17th centuries: Tierra Firme
Cortés, Hernán, Second Letter
Guaman Poma de Ayala, Nueva Corónica y Buen Gobierno-The Guaman Poma Website: http://www.kb.dk/permalink/2006/poma/info/en/frontpage.htm (selections)
Inca Garcilaso de la Vega, Royal Commentaries, Books 1 and 8.
Monday September 28: Nineteenth Century: The Caribbean and the Philippines
José Rizal, “The Indolence of the Philippino” and “Philippines 100 years Hence”
José Martí, “Our America”
José Martí, “Montecristi Manifesto”
Monday October 5: Back to the Caribbean: U.S. Virgin Islands
Tiphanie Yanique, Land of Love and Drowning
Aimé Césaire, Discourse on Colonialism
Monday October 12: Indonesia
Professor Janet Walker, Guest speaker.
Pramoedya Ananta Toer, This Earth of Mankind
Epeli Hau’ofa, “Our Sea of Islands,” We are the Ocean: Selected Works
Monday October 19: Indonesia
Pramoedya Ananta Toer, This Earth of Mankind
Monday October 26: Africa-Nigeria
Professor Ousseina Alidou-Guest Speaker.
Chinua Achebe, Things Fall Apart
Monday November 2: Africa-Rhodesia, Zimbabwe
Tsitsi Dangarembga, Nervous Condition
Monday November 9: Africa: Equatorial Guinea
Donato Ndongo, Shadows of Your Black Memory.
Monday November 16*-Class postponed-dinner at professor’s home in mid December
Monday November 23: Africa: Equatorial Guinea
Guest Speaker: Yomaira Figueroa, Michigan State University
Juan Tomas Avila Laurel, By Night the Mountain Burns
Monday December 7: The Caribbean and U.S. Latinos
Antonio Martorell, The Lettered Antilles
Junot Díaz, The Brief and Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao.
Extra class: Dinner at Professor’s home Monday December 14: Presentation of Final Paper Proposals
Paper due on January 14, 2016. (Date to be confirmed with students at the beginning of the semester)
