Decolonization: Literatures and Textual Arts

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

In-depth study of a literary and cultural comparative corpus related to postcolonial societies.
Critical analysis of issues connected with Memory and Colonial Past, in particular the transnational narration of memories. Special attention will be paid to the contribution of literary and artistic productions, through the (re)negotiation of intergroup relations, to a dynamic construction of collective identities.

Learning outcomes

At the end of this learning unit, the student is able to :
.	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.

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 of prose, we will examine how these literary texts, in a singular way, are related to a specific process of fictionalisation as imaginary works and defictionalisation of fiction, and for which audience. We will also examine how these texts deal with testimonies, autobiography and voicing, and the essay in a decolonial perspective. Finally, we will question how this texts are part of processes of consecration, canonization, invisibilisation. 
We will adopt a contextual approach - taking into account the specificity of the Belgian and Congolese contexts - and a comparative approach - questioning in a contrastive way, in connection with the discourses of time in other linguistic areas, the positioning of Flemish (in a multilingual situation) and Dutch postcolonial literature.

Teaching methods

Introduction with contextual and historical markers, problematisation of historiographical and institutional frameworks for Dutch (Belgian) postcolonial literature. Critical analysis of the primary texts under study on the basis of the post- and decolonial analytical paradigms presented and discussed. 
Lectures supported by audio-visual, multimedia 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 numbers permit, the course will be designed 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%.
In case of a resit, the assessment will be as follows: 20% continuous assessment, 40% essay, 40 % oral exam. 

Other information

Teaching material :
primary texts and critical readings (anthology) (see Moodle, online or University Library), handouts, documents on Moodle.

Online resources

see Moodle
www.bntl.nl
www.dbnl.org

Bibliography

Bibliographie primaire (extraits)

Cyriel Buysse – De zwarte kost (1898)
Gerard Walschap – Oproer in Kongo (1953)
Jef Geeraerts – Gangreen I. Black Venus (1968)
Hugo Claus – Het leven en de werken van Leopold II (1970)
Lieve Joris - Terug naar Congo (1992)
David Van Reybrouck – Congo (2010)
Koen Peeters – De mensengenezer (2017)
Astrid Roemer – Gebroken wit (2019)
Nadia Nsayi – Dochter van de dekolonisatie (2020)
Bibliographie secondaire de référence:
Boehmer, E. & De Mul, S. (ed.), The Postcolonial Low Countries: Literature, Colonialism, and Multiculturalism, Lanham, MD: Lexington Books, 2012.
Dewulf, J. & Renders, L., ‘Introduction’, in: The Congo in Flemish Literature. An Anthology of Flemish Prose on the Congo, 1870s - 1990s, Leuven: Leuven University Press, 2020.
Herman, L. & Vervaeck, B., ‘Postcolonial Narratology’, in: Handbook of Narrative Analysis, Lincoln: Nebraska Press, 2019, pp. 246-254.
Mudimbe, V.Y., The Invention of Africa. Gnosis Philosophy, and the Order of Knowledge, Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 1988.

Teaching materials

• Powerpoints
• hand-outs
• ressources pédagogiques sur Moodle, documents sonores et vidéos

Faculty or entity

ELAL