SOCIETA' E CULTURE POSTCOLONIALI

The course is part of the Core educational activities [B] of the literature and culture and of the international politics curricula of the Bachelor's Degree Programme in Language, Civilisation and the Science of Language.

Students will be introduced to the main themes, concepts, and debates in contemporary postcolonial studies, with particular reference to literature and its connections to environmental and climate issues. They will acquire a foundational knowledge of postcolonial criticism and its specialized terminology, and will learn to apply key concepts and perspectives to literary and other cultural texts.

The course will encourage the development of independent thinking and critical judgment, as well as the improvement of communication skills in relation to the issues at stake, particularly the cultural construction of hope. Its overall aim is to enable students to approach literary texts and other cultural and social phenomena from a postcolonial perspective in an increasingly autonomous manner.

Advanced proficiency in reading, speaking, and writing in English

What Have the Romans Ever Done for Us? Debating the Postcolonial

In a famous scene from Monty Python’s Life of Brian, a secret anticolonial meeting turns into an unwitting celebration of Roman imperialism and, inevitably, an ironic commentary on British imperial history. Several decades later, societies across the globe continue to debate, from different geopolitical perspectives, the impact of Western colonialism on the contemporary world. The term postcolonial, far from being a merely chronological label, is a critical concept that helps us understand how colonialism persists in shaping the present.
This course examines competing concepts and perspectives on the colonial, the postcolonial, and the decolonial, considering their uses, potential abuses, and ideological appropriations. It begins with an overview of the emergence and development of these frameworks, alongside key thinkers such as Frantz Fanon, Edward Said, Gayatri Chakravorty Spivak, Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o, Albert Memmi, Arundhati Roy, Amitav Ghosh, Wangari Maathai, and Walter Mignolo.
We will explore how these concepts have been contested, appropriated, and criticized—variously described as anti-Western or, paradoxically, too Western. Rather than reinforcing simplistic divisions between “good” and “bad,” the course aims to use these debates to make sense of the complexity of the contemporary world.
Particular emphasis will be placed on the intersections between colonial history and its ongoing consequences, including the climate crisis, as well as on the narratives of hope that emerge from these entanglements. Postcolonial poetry and storytelling will accompany us throughout the course, complicating—and occasionally softening—the density of theoretical discourse.

Essays by Frantz Fanon, Edward Said, Gayatri Chakravorty Spivak, Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o, Albert Memmi, Arundhati Roy, Amitav Ghosh, Wangari Maathai, Gurminder K Bhambra, Walter Mignolo and others (available on Moodle).

Other optional readings will be available on Moodle.

The written exam (in English) lasts two hours and consists of ten questions requiring concise answers. Students are expected to demonstrate knowledge of the texts discussed in class, with emphasis on key concepts and debates rather than factual details.

scritto

Il/la docente ha il dovere di vigilare affinché siano rispettate le regole di autenticità e originalità delle prove d'esame. Di conseguenza, nei casi in cui vi sia il sospetto di un comportamento irregolare, l'esame può prevedere un ulteriore approfondimento, contestuale alla prova d'esame, che potrà essere realizzato anche in modalità differente rispetto alle modalità sopra riportate.

Il voto minimo è 18, il voto massimo è 30 e lode. Per quanto riguarda la gradazione del voto (modalità con cui saranno assegnati i voti):
A. fascia 18-22: sufficiente conoscenza dei contenuti; limitata capacità di discussione autonoma, limitata conoscenza degli strumenti teorici, limitata conoscenza del contesto storico-culturale e dei dibattiti.
B. fascia 23-26: discreta conoscenza dei contenuti; discreta capacità di discussione autonoma, discreta conoscenza degli strumenti teorici, discreta conoscenza del contesto storico-culturale e dei dibattiti.
C. fascia 27-30: buona o ottima conoscenza dei contenuti; buona o ottima capacità di discussione autonoma, buona o ottima conoscenza degli strumenti teorici, buona o ottima conoscenza del contesto storico-culturale e dei dibattiti.
D. Lode: attribuita nel caso la conoscenza dei contenuti, la capacità di discussione autonoma, la conoscenza degli strumenti teorici, del contesto storico-culturale e dei dibattiti sia eccellente.

Lezioni frontali. Sono previsti momenti di discussione in classe. La piattaforma di e-learning Moodle sarà utilizzata per le comunicazioni con gli studenti e per distribuire i materiali didattici (slide; parti della bibliografia).

Gli studenti possono e sono incoraggiati a prendere visione dell’esame scritto chiedendo un appuntamento al docente.

Questo insegnamento tratta argomenti connessi alla macroarea "Cooperazione internazionale" e concorre alla realizzazione dei relativi obiettivi ONU dell'Agenda 2030 per lo Sviluppo Sostenibile