Topics in American Culture Studies:

The 21st century is characterized by numerous ongoing global conflicts in Asia, Africa, Middle East, Caribbean, and The Americas. Popular opinions blame these on poor choices in "third world countries"- dictatorships, corruption, failing economies, or the lack of people's will for change. But, can we interpret these conflicts as reactions of historical colonial incursions? Is colonialism over? Has the empire ended? This course interrogates popular opinions - through commentary, photographs, maps, personal opinions - about ongoing global conflicts to challenge the assumption that we are in a "post" colonial age where the era of colonialism has officially ended. Interrogating this logocentric notion, the course surveys literatures from five continents, namely: Asia, Africa, Middle East, Caribbean, and the Americas to study how current world conflicts, such as ones in Kashmir, Sudan, Palestine, Haiti, etc. have their roots in colonial politics, settler colonialism, and popular cultural instruments of colonialism, such as, religion, language, holidays, tourism, and other colonial vestiges. Utilizing transnational, decolonial, antiracist, and humanitarian frameworks, the course interrogates how the logocentric approach that officially ends colonialism, in effect erases historical knowledge, and doubly impugns people historically marginalized by their colonial encounters.
Course Attributes: EN H; BU BA; AS HUM; FA HUM; AR HUM

Topics in American Culture Studies:

AMERICAN CULTURE STUDIES 336

Section 01