Decolonisations : Literatures and the Colonial Past

Teacher(s)

Vanasten Stéphanie;

Language

Dutch

Prerequisites

An introductory knowledge of Dutch literature and a good proficiency in Dutch (advanced level, B2 + of the Common European reference framework).

Main themes

Aims

At the end of this learning unit, the student is able to :
1	At the end of the course, students will be able to: - develop the necessary methodological competences for the in-depth study of literary and artistic productions related to the colonial past; - deepen their literary and cultural knowledge; - develop a critical approach in order to interpret the studied texts and to integrate the sociocultural and postcolonial context in this heuristic approach; - critically interpret texts and integrate the sociocultural context in this heuristic approach; - read and write scholarly essays in the domain studied.

The contribution of this Teaching Unit to the development and command of the skills and learning outcomes of the programme(s) can be accessed at the end of this sheet, in the section entitled “Programmes/courses offering this Teaching Unit”.

Content

The course deals with the representation of the Belgian colonial past in Dutch-language literary texts. This colonial history has given rise to an important Dutch-language literary production from the end of the 19thcentury onward. We will try to understand how different authors, from the colonial and post-independence period until today, write the Congo and to the development of which memory/ies their texts contribute. Starting from a delimited but representative corpus, we will examine how these literary texts are related to a specific process of fictionalisation and defictionalisation. We will also examine how these texts deal with societal and ideological problems, because these issues often underlie the writing process. 

Teaching methods

Lectures supported by audio-visual materials and combined with interactive activities. The students are expected to do some preparatory reading and research in order to take part in the discussion. If possible, the course will be organised as a seminar.

Evaluation methods

Continuous assessment. Active participation in the course or seminar (oral presentation, discussions and workshops) is required : 20 %. If you do not attend the course, you lose 20% of your final mark.
Group presentation of an original analysis + discussion with the other students and teacher : 30 %.
Essay based on the presentation : 40 %.
Oral exam based on the essay : 10%. 

Other information

Teaching material : Texts, handouts, documents on Moodle.

Bibliography

/

Faculty or entity

LMOD