War and the end of Empire: syllabus
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Felicity Hand, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona
Week 1
Historical background to the imperial conflicts of the late 19th century. In Southern Africa. Specials emphasis on the Zulu Wars and Cecil Rhodes’ project. Discussion of clips from the film Zulu and the TV series Rhodes.
Week 2
Historical background to the causes and consequences of the South African War. Attitudes and reactions in Britain and South Africa to the War. The work of Emily Hobhouse.
Week 3
Reading and discussion of a selection of Boer War Poems and an extract from Olive Schreiner, Trooper Halket of Mashonaland.
Week 4
Introduction to African writing. Colonial discourse and imperial attitudes. Post-colonial theories of resistance and rewriting. The concept of Negritude and the work of Frantz Fanon.
Week 5
The work of Chinua Achebe. Writing back to the centre and the rewriting of colonial texts. Examples from Things Fall Apart & Joseph Conrad’s Heart of Darkness. Discussion of clips from the film Mr. Johnson
Week 6
Oral Presentation 1
Language, literary discourse, orality and the sociopolitical role of African literature. Background to Kenya & the Mau Mau conflict.
Week 7
The politics of language in African writing. Introduction to the work of Ngugi wa Thiong’o.
Week 8
Reading and discussion of of Weep Not, Child. Metaphorical language, narrative technique, Christianity & colonialism, education & alienation, gender issues.
Week 9
Socio-political background to the Nigerian Civil War 1967-70.
Survey of creative writing written on the conflict. Reading and discussion of writings on Biafra by Chinua Achebe, Elechi Amadi and Christopher Okigbo.
Week 10
Oral presentations 2
Wole Soyinka & the social use of theatre. Reading & discussion of the play Madmen and Specialists
Week 11
Discussion of two stories from Flora Nwapa’s collection, Wives at War and Buchi Emecheta’s novel, Destination Biafra.
Week 12
Comparison of male and female narratives of the Civil War. Writing back to the centre. African writing in English in the 21st century.
Historical background to the imperial conflicts of the late 19th century. In Southern Africa. Specials emphasis on the Zulu Wars and Cecil Rhodes’ project. Discussion of clips from the film Zulu and the TV series Rhodes.
Week 2
Historical background to the causes and consequences of the South African War. Attitudes and reactions in Britain and South Africa to the War. The work of Emily Hobhouse.
Week 3
Reading and discussion of a selection of Boer War Poems and an extract from Olive Schreiner, Trooper Halket of Mashonaland.
Week 4
Introduction to African writing. Colonial discourse and imperial attitudes. Post-colonial theories of resistance and rewriting. The concept of Negritude and the work of Frantz Fanon.
Week 5
The work of Chinua Achebe. Writing back to the centre and the rewriting of colonial texts. Examples from Things Fall Apart & Joseph Conrad’s Heart of Darkness. Discussion of clips from the film Mr. Johnson
Week 6
Oral Presentation 1
Language, literary discourse, orality and the sociopolitical role of African literature. Background to Kenya & the Mau Mau conflict.
Week 7
The politics of language in African writing. Introduction to the work of Ngugi wa Thiong’o.
Week 8
Reading and discussion of of Weep Not, Child. Metaphorical language, narrative technique, Christianity & colonialism, education & alienation, gender issues.
Week 9
Socio-political background to the Nigerian Civil War 1967-70.
Survey of creative writing written on the conflict. Reading and discussion of writings on Biafra by Chinua Achebe, Elechi Amadi and Christopher Okigbo.
Week 10
Oral presentations 2
Wole Soyinka & the social use of theatre. Reading & discussion of the play Madmen and Specialists
Week 11
Discussion of two stories from Flora Nwapa’s collection, Wives at War and Buchi Emecheta’s novel, Destination Biafra.
Week 12
Comparison of male and female narratives of the Civil War. Writing back to the centre. African writing in English in the 21st century.
