Post-colonial Studies

In this course, we will examine the concept of the “Western Tradition” from a post-colonial viewpoint. During the Enlightenment, starting with the project of a European “republic,” ideas of rationality and progress played key roles in shaping the Western consciousness and self-consciousness. Such postures of rationality and progress are often seen as essential parts of this tradition. In order to understand such positions we will start by looking at theories about tradition formation. We will then exam critiques of the Western Tradition based on texts by thinkers such as Aimé Césaire, Charles Mills, Frantz Fanon, Edward Said, Dipesh Chakrabarty, and Gayatri Spivak. According to such critics, The West’s idea of itself is only possible by denying non-Western countries and peoples the same possibility. This course examines these critiques and examines whether the price of the idea of Western rationality and progress has been forms of economic domination, slavery and colonialism. Finally, this course will asks how to deal with this legacy.