This introductory course explores postcolonial perspectives in geography and political science, focusing on how colonialism’s legacy shapes contemporary global structures and relationships. Spanning October 14th to 16th, students will engage in rigorous discussions, critical analyses, and personal reflections.
The concrete content of the course will depend strongly on the interests, questions, and experiences that students bring with them. In preparation for the in-person days, students will work in teams to design interactive sessions (e.g. discussions, exercises, case studies), which will form the core of our joint work. The planned content will be discussed together, and Lutz will support the teams in developing and refining their ideas throughout the preparation process.
Key topics (to be shaped by students’ interests) may include:
- Foundations of postcolonial studies
- Socio-economic impacts and beneficiaries of colonialism
- Persistence of colonial structures in modern politics
- Contemporary power dynamics and geopolitical crises
- Colonialism’s impact on climate change
- Historical and current resource exploitation
- Ethical responsibilities arising from colonial pasts
- Personal reflections on postcolonialism’s influence on beliefs and identities
Students will learn to identify colonial structures within their fields and everyday lives and to critically reflect on their own positionality. The course includes a preparatory session on September 1th from 18:00 to 19:30, with a reflection session scheduled after the course on October 26th from 18:00 to 19:30.
Literature:
If you are curious and want to get an idea of what we will discuss, you can invest:
1 minute: read the abstract of Postcolonialism: A Very Short Introduction by Robert J. C. Young as an example here:
https://academic.oup.com/book/28463
10 to 20 minutes: skim or read Introducing Postcolonialism in International Relations Theory by Sheila Nair as an example here:
https://www.e-ir.info/2017/12/08/postcolonialism-in-international-relations-theory/national-relations-theory/
- Dozent*in: Lutz Drieling