EN4436 Caribbean Literature

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Module description

The Caribbean has long been recognised as a microcosm of modernity. The site of Columbus’s discovery of the New World and of colonisation by the British, Dutch, French and Spanish, the history of the Caribbean is one of colonial violence and neo-imperialist exploitation, but also of revolution and resistance. It is a history that the region’s intellectuals and writers have sought to investigate, commemorate, and critique. This module explores the literary and intellectual history of the 20th and 21st century Caribbean, ranging across the region’s cultures and linguistic traditions (in translation). Themes explored in the module may include the Haitian Revolution, negritude, creolization and creole cultures, marvellous realism, diaspora, globalization, and the queer Caribbean. The module draws from a diverse range of writers and intellectuals from across the Caribbean and its diaspora.

Intended learning outcomes

• Analyse and discuss the work of a range of twentieth and twenty-first century Caribbean writers.
• Articulate an understanding of the relationship between literature, history and society within the context of legacies of imperialism and globalization.
• Reflect upon the Caribbean’s intellectual history across the twentieth and twenty-first centuries, and utilise its key concepts in the analysis of literature.
• Demonstrate an awareness of how literature and language produce and reflect cultural change and difference.
• Research, develop and present ideas effectively.
• Employ a range of relevant practical and presentational skills, both written and oral (oral skills will be practiced in group discussions and informal individual presentations; written skills will be practiced and tested by means of coursework assessments).