More than three-quarters of the world’s population have had their lives shaped by imperialism and the experience of colonialism. It is easy to see the impact this has had on the political and economic transformations of the past two centuries, but the degree to which these have effected the perceptual frameworks of world’s population is less evident. This course will address the ways in which modern perceptions and attitudes are connected to their history of imperialism. Combining the study of empire with the concept of culture helps us to introduce the issue of power, and in turn, forces us to address the ways in which empire is not only a political ideology of domination, but also a cultural formation. This course will study the history of economic exploitation and political domination that characterized the colonial world, the forms and effects of colonial rule, and the ways in which colonial and post-colonial cultures respond(ed) to and resist(ed) imperialist hegemony.

Chosen with a comparative framework in mind, readings will address the ideas, images, representations, and history of imperialism in different parts of the world. Students will critically examine and write about personal narratives, films, as well as journal articles and academic monographs — all of which will be used to relate contemporary life with the past.

Course Requirements

2 short essays (3-5 pages long)
a paper proposal (1-2 pages long), and
final research paper (12-15 pages long)
one class presentation (15-20 minutes long)

Assigned material must be read by the scheduled date. You are expected to participate in discussions and debates, and should be prepared to comment on the readings. There will be group exercises to help you prepare for class presentations. In order to receive an evaluation, all assignments and presentations have to be completed. All assignments are due in class; I would be glad to look over earlier drafts of the assignments in the scheduled office hours. Assignments should be typed double-spaced, papers should have 1-1.25-inch margins, and the font size should be 12. If you choose to miss a class or submit a late paper, please inform me in advance.
The short review essays will be based on broad assignment topics, and should present your unique, critical perspective on the themes being addressed in class and the readings. For these review essays, you are welcome to incorporate external readings and references. Please provide a bibliography when you do so. Your final research paper (12-15 pages long) will be on a topic of your choice. Independent research should inform this paper. Sometime late-October, you are expected to present a proposal (in the form of a class presentation) that outlines the main questions that you intend to address in the research paper, so it is recommended that you start exploring your specific interests by mid-October.
During the semester, you should focus on engaged reading and writing, substantive revising, and analytical and critical thinking. You will receive substantial feedback on your papers during the semester from your peers and myself. The focus of my comments will be on your conceptual clarity, expression, and knowledge of the subject. At the end of the semester, you will present me with a portfolio that contains all your writings. This portfolio will document your progress as a writer, analyst, and historian. It will thus act as your contribution to our knowledge on the history of imperialism and critical/cultural theory.

Required Readings

The following textbooks may be purchased at the Amherst Books, in downtown Amherst. Some readings will also be handed out to you in class.

Wood, E.M. Empire of Capital

Cohn, Bernard, Colonialism and its Forms of Knowledge

Conrad, Joseph Heart of Darkness

Orwell, George Burmese Days

Roy, Arundhati, War Talk

Friedman, Thomas Longitudes and Attitudes: Exploring the World After September 11

Recommended Reading

Bill Ashcroft, Gareth Griffiths, and Helen Tiffin Key concepts in post-colonial studies London; New York: Routledge, 1998

Edward Said Orientalism New York: Vintage, 1978

READING SCHEDULE

Week 1 Introduction
Sept. 4

Week 2 The Idea of Empire
Sept. 9 Readings: Screening of “Idea of Empire”

Sept. 11 Pathologies of Power
Readings: Essay by John Tomlinson “Cultural Imperialism.” (handout)

Week 3 Ideologies and Technologies of Dominance
Sept. 16 Readings: Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad

Sept. 18 Readings: Essay by Michael Adas on the relationship between technology and culture (handout)

Week 4 The Orientalist Mind
Sept. 23 Readings: sections from Said’s* “Orientalism”
First short paper due today

Sept. 25 Readings: Porters’s* “Orientalism and its Problems” and Ahmad’s* “Orientalism and After”

Week 5 The Political Economy of Empire
Sept. 30 ADVISING DAY: No class

Oct. 2 Readings: TBA
Screening of Chocolat at 4 pm on Friday, October 3rd.

Week 6 Ambivalence and Hybridity
Oct. 7 Discussion of Chocolat

Oct. 9 Readings: Orwell’s “Shooting an Elephant” and handouts on the concepts of “ambivalence” and “hybridity”

FALL BREAK: October 11-14

Week 7 The White Man’s Burden
Oct. 14 Readings: Spring Break, no class
Oct. 16 Readings: Orwell’s Burmese Days

Second short paper due today

Week 8 Colonialism and its Forms of Knowledge
Oct. 21 Readings: Cohn, chs. 1-3

Oct. 23 Readings: Cohn, chs. 4-5
Today we’ll also discuss how to frame a research paper topic, and issues of methodology.
Screening of Satyajit Ray’s Home and the World on Friday, October 24th.

Week 9 The Tyranny of Dichotomies
Oct. 28 Readings: Presentation by Social Science Librarian Dan Schnurr

Oct. 30 Readings: Discussion of Satyajit Ray’s Home and the World
Final research paper proposals due today

Week 10 Nationalism, and the Burden of History
Nov. 4 Readings: Sections from Partha Chatterjee’s The Nation and its Fragments and Benedict Anderson’s Imagined Communities

Nov. 6 Readings: Sections from Basil Davidson’s Black Man’s Burden

Week 11 Capitalism and Empire
Nov. 11 Readings: E.M. Wood Empire of Capital chs. 1-4

Nov. 13 Readings: E.M. Wood Empire of Capital chs. 5-7

Week 12 Imperialism and Cultural Hegemony
Nov. 18 Readings: Friedman Longitudes and Attitudes, “Columns”

Nov. 20 Readings: Friedman Longitudes and Attitudes, “Diary”

Week 13 Globalization and War
Nov. 25 Readings: Arundhati Roy War Talk (sections TBA)

Nov. 27 THANKSGIVING: No class

Week 14 The Culture of Empire
Dec. 2 Readings: Arundhati Roy War Talk (sections TBA)

Dec. 4 Readings: In-Class Handout