Literature of Migration

This course explores the theme of migration in contemporary postcolonial literature. The focus will be on both fictional and non-fictional modes of transcribing the experience of dislocation. A special emphasis will be placed on the role played by literary tradition in the writer's shaping of personal identity; the first lessons will provide students with the basic theoretical tools to help them discuss a literary text (especially autobiographical writings). Experimentation of form as well as significant innovations in content will be covered with in detail. Students will also be introduced to the basic historical events and changes of such countries as India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, South Africa, and Algeria in order to better understand past and contemporary interactions between the ex-colonies of ex-colonial powers such as Britain and France. Readings will include works by J.M. Coetzee, Michael Ondaatje, Hanif Kureishi, Jhumpa Lahiri, Azouz Begag, Salman Rushdie, and Edward W. Said.