Course Description
While geopolitical region “South Asia” has been variously imagined through the ages, we will focus on South Asia’s cultural acts of “becoming modern” in our age of increasing global inter-connectedness (often referred to as “globalization” by contemporary theorists. The current global purchase of South Asia obtains from the high imperial moment of European expansion; hence the postcolonial imagination has had to confront those earlier colonialist depictions of South Asian places, peoples, and goods in their cultural work. We will examine not only some of the persistent characters, icons, and stories through which we, in the global North “know” South Asia, but deepen our understanding of these by encounters with postcolonial interventions in fiction, non-fiction, film, television, painting, comics, photographs, and cookbooks. Whenever possible, texts with a common link will be paired for contrast (for example, countercultural or hippie representations of Nepal with a contemporary short story by Samrat Upadhyay), enabling us to consider the capture of the same subject in different media technologies. Besides one contemporary novel and a collection of essays, shorter readings will be available in a course reader. Students are expected to come prepared to discuss readings in class; to view three films (The Guru, 2002; Lage Raho Munna Bhai, 2006; Drowned Out, 2002) outside of class time (screenings TBA); and to engage with texts shown in class (such as photographs, paintings, or excerpts from the X-files and the film shorts Call Center, 2006 and Nalini by Day, Nancy by Night, 2005).
Required Texts
- Sara Suleri, Meatless Days (1987)
- Arundhati Roy, The Cost of Living (1999)
- Madhur Jaffrey, Quick and Easy Indian Cooking (1996)
Course Reader with critical essays, fiction, photographs, letters, speeches (readings from folder are marked “R” in the calendar). Pick up at Associated Students.
Screenings: Venue TBA
- Lage Raho Munna Bhai (2006)
- Drowned Out (2002)
- The Guru (2002)
A list of Reserve Readings will be posted on the website; some library and media center holdings are included in your course reader. The website will link you to relevant digital sources. Please check website regularly for postings, updates, changes, and—most importantly—the notes and terms relevant for each day of lecture (these will be your study guide for the final exam).
