Postcolonial Studies

Please note that the registration period is limited. See the box under 'Application and Registration' for the exact registration dates of the minor and courses.

The Postcolonial Minor offers a comprehensive overview of the historical and theoretical framework of Postcolonial Studies. In this interdisciplinary minor, students will examine and critically analyze the interconnected issues of Europe, borders, privilege, violence, religion, and migration in the context of postcolonial relations. Students will learn key concepts in postcolonial theories. which they will apply in analyses of contemporary phenomena such as migration, diaspora formation, and cultural practices. The students will develop thus the ability to engage in discussions about postcolonial issues and contribute to broader dialogues on global politics, culture, and society.

Summary

“We allow justly that the Holocaust has permanently altered the consciousness of our time: Why do we not accord the same epistemological mutation in what imperialism has done, and what Orientalism continues to do?”
― Edward W. Said, Orientalism (1978).

Content

Our world, increasingly subject to the uneven forces of both economic and cultural globalization, is one characterised by conflicts and oppressions with their roots firmly embedded in past colonial relations. Urgent questions generated by uneven contemporary post- and neocolonial landscapes, both theoretical and geographical, relate to issues such as the project of Europe, borders, memory, privilege, violence, identity, race and ethnicity, gender and sexuality, religion, diaspora, violent conflict, migration, asylum, and representations of otherness. The minor in postcolonial studies places and focuses these critically entangled issues within wider historical and theoretical frameworks.

The main goals of this minor are:

• acquiring an overview of the major currents and approaches in postcolonial theories;
• getting familiarized with contemporary developments in the field, namely theoretical interventions from postcolonial and decolonial theory studying Europe's internal and external forms of colonial/postcolonial relations;
• learning to apply postcolonialism’s analytical tools at cultural, social and textual levels;
• improving your capacity to examine the ways in which episodes of violence are framed and portrayed in mainstream media and understanding the urgency of this analytic perspective;
• developing skills in order to carry out research using (comparative) methodological instruments;
• establishing connections with fields including conflict studies, gender, critical race, migration and diaspora studies.

Curriculum

The minor Postcolonial Studies consist of four compulsory course modules (30 EC) taught by lecturers from various disciplinary backgrounds including gender, postcolonial, media and cultural studies, literary studies, history and conflict studies. The courses include lectures, seminars readings, film and documentary screenings, museum visits, individual and group presentations and assignments include essays. The courses aim to be interactive and students are encouraged to raise questions, promote debate, offer criticisms and contribute to the course contents.

We will enable you to acquire the principles and methodological insights afforded by postcolonial theory in order to critically analyse both Western and non-Western histories, politics, conflicts, literatures, cinema, visual, digital and popular culture at large. You will learn to recognise ways in which issues of representation, discourse, power, sexism, racism, and geo-politics are structured within hierarchical colonial dichotomies of whiteness/blackness, East/West, tradition/modernity and how to critically analyse their transitions in different postcolonial societies and cultures.

As part of course work, students are encouraged to participate in selected events undertaken at the Postcolonial Studies Initiative (PCI) directed by prof. Sandra Ponzanesi. Events include the film series, masterclasses, lectures and conferences. See http://www.postcolonialstudies.nl

Students in the BA Literary Studies/Literatuurwetenschap

AAre you a student in the BA Literary Studies/Literatuurwetenschap doing the World Literature Specialisation? In that case, you must take Historiography of Feminist Ideas (VR2V14001) instead of Postcolonial Theory (LI3V19002) in block 1. This needs to be approved by the Board of Examiners, check the Approval and exemption page of your programme. 

Students in the Bachelor Media en cultuur/Media and Culture, and TCS/LAS students following  Hoofdrichting Gender and Postcolonial Studies

Students in the BA Media en cultuur/Media and Culture, or TCS/LAS students following the Hoofdrichting Gender and Postcolonial Studies can write their thesis in Gender Studies or Postcolonial Studies by taking the following courses:

• Onderzoeksseminar Gender & Postcolonial Studies VR3V16001 (and not Onderzoeksseminar Media en Cultuur MC3V14001 / Research Seminar Media and Culture MC3V20001)
• Eindwerkstuk Gender & Postcolonial Studies VR3V16002 (and not Eindwerkstuk Media en Cultuur ME3V15026 / Bachelor Thesis Media and Culture ME3V20001) 

Students TCS/LAS

The minor Postcolonial Studies is a kernpakket for students TCS and LAS.

Replacement courses

If you started this minor in 2022 or earlier and have not yet finished it, be aware that starting with the academic year 2023-2024 the course GE3V18007 Framing Violence is replaced with GE3V23003 Racism in the Western World.

Application and registration

How to register for this minor and its course modules, depends on whether you are a student of Utrecht University or not.

More information

If you wish to know more, or have questions about this minor, please contact the Student Desk Humanities.