From Turtle Island to South Africa and Palestine - On Colonialism and Post-Colonialism
(for questions about the course, write to Anne)
description
In November 2012, three First Nation women created the ongoing protest movement “Idle No More” in Saskatchewan, Canada to fight for the rights of Aboriginal peoples across Turtle Island (a term used since the 1970s by many Native activists to designate North America). A few weeks later, a coalition of organizations and activists fighting for the rights of the Palestinians expressed their profound solidarity with that initiative, emphasizing the “connections” between the experiences of both peoples. In the open letter published on that occasion, the collective also evoked the “historical links” between the Palestinian national liberation movement and the South African struggle to end the apartheid. The authors mentioned fundamental “similarities” both between the situations from which Palestinians and the majority of South Africans suffered and continue to suffer, and the means of resistance developed to fight back (such as the call for Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions launched by the Palestinian civil society in 2005).What are exactly these “historical links,” “connections,” and “similarities”? These are a few of the questions that this course will try to answer. In order to do so, we will look at the concepts of “Colonialism” and “Post-colonialism” through three different lenses: as specific historical experiences, as socio-spatial dynamics, and as bodies of literary and scientific works.
expectations
(for questions about the course, write to Anne)
description
In November 2012, three First Nation women created the ongoing protest movement “Idle No More” in Saskatchewan, Canada to fight for the rights of Aboriginal peoples across Turtle Island (a term used since the 1970s by many Native activists to designate North America). A few weeks later, a coalition of organizations and activists fighting for the rights of the Palestinians expressed their profound solidarity with that initiative, emphasizing the “connections” between the experiences of both peoples. In the open letter published on that occasion, the collective also evoked the “historical links” between the Palestinian national liberation movement and the South African struggle to end the apartheid. The authors mentioned fundamental “similarities” both between the situations from which Palestinians and the majority of South Africans suffered and continue to suffer, and the means of resistance developed to fight back (such as the call for Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions launched by the Palestinian civil society in 2005).What are exactly these “historical links,” “connections,” and “similarities”? These are a few of the questions that this course will try to answer. In order to do so, we will look at the concepts of “Colonialism” and “Post-colonialism” through three different lenses: as specific historical experiences, as socio-spatial dynamics, and as bodies of literary and scientific works.
expectations
- Weekly reactions to the readings/videos (written paragraph, mind-map, 3 min pitch).
- Prepare for conversations with three guest speakers during the trimester (the three guest speakers will be academic activists whose work deals with Indigenous movements in North America, Palestine and South Africa).
- Trimester-long individual or group projects on a topic that will be discussed with the course coordinator.
(Students are encouraged to research and write an academic paper on a topic related to the course which could serve as a writing sample for graduate school applications and could eventually be published; AND/OR
design and implement a social media “awareness campaign” on one of the research questions dealt with in class, e.g. creation of an infograph visualising Palestine; AND/OR
create a piece of 'post-colonial' art, i.e. short text, poem, song, drawing, graffiti, etc. through which the student can reflect on her own agency, subjectivity and voice in a 'post-colonial' context).
- Familiarise students with the concepts of colonialism and post-colonialism in the various dimensions of the terms.
- Encourage them to interrogate temporalities and the conception of history as a linear process.
- Develop their sensitivity to the complex dynamics of the “colonial situation” (Balandier) and the concepts of dialectical relationships and hybridity.
- Increase their awareness of the relationship between knowledge production and power.
- Allow them to develop strong analytical skills and an ability to relate the course material to their own lives and experiences.
