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78364-01 - Lecture: Colonial Encounters: Cultures in the Contact Zone and Beyond (2 CP)
| Semester | spring semester 2026 |
| Course frequency | Irregular |
| Lecturers | Ana Sobral (ana.sobral@unibas.ch, Assessor) |
| Content | The first contact between Self and Other features in countless depictions of the European overseas colonial conquest, whether in paintings, fiction or travel journals. A symbol of worlds meeting, colliding and/or intermingling, that first contact encapsulates a series of projections and anxieties of the European colonial powers. In this lecture, we will be looking at cultural contacts through the prism of postcolonial theories, new historicism and memory studies. While much of the focus will be on the colonial period, we will also address more contemporary examples in the wake of globalization. We will discuss the complex phenomenologies of arrival in unfamiliar spaces that the colonial texts negotiate. These Western perceptions will be brought into dialogue with native representations of the same encounters. Dealing with issues such as cultural clashes, misunderstandings, translation, appropriation and hybridization, the aim is to introduce students to key concepts and approaches advanced by leading intellectuals – among them Homi Bhabha, Stephen Greenblatt, Mary-Louise Pratt and Édouard Glissant. |
| Learning objectives | Students will be introduced to key theories, concepts and arguments from postcolonial studies, new historicism and memory studies. |
| Bibliography | Theoretical and primary texts will be made available on ADAM. |
| Weblink | ADAM |
| Admission requirements | None |
| Language of instruction | English |
| Use of digital media | Online, mandatory |
| Course auditors welcome |
| Interval | Weekday | Time | Room |
|---|---|---|---|
| wöchentlich | Thursday | 12.15-14.00 | Kollegienhaus, Aula 033 |
Dates
| Date | Time | Room |
|---|---|---|
| Thursday 19.02.2026 | 12.15-14.00 | Kollegienhaus, Aula 033 |
| Thursday 26.02.2026 | 12.15-14.00 | Fasnachtswoche |
| Thursday 05.03.2026 | 12.15-14.00 | Kollegienhaus, Aula 033 |
| Thursday 12.03.2026 | 12.15-14.00 | Kollegienhaus, Aula 033 |
| Thursday 19.03.2026 | 12.15-14.00 | Kollegienhaus, Aula 033 |
| Thursday 26.03.2026 | 12.15-14.00 | Kollegienhaus, Aula 033 |
| Thursday 02.04.2026 | 12.15-14.00 | Osterwoche |
| Thursday 09.04.2026 | 12.15-14.00 | Kollegienhaus, Aula 033 |
| Thursday 16.04.2026 | 12.15-14.00 | Kollegienhaus, Aula 033 |
| Thursday 23.04.2026 | 12.15-14.00 | Kollegienhaus, Aula 033 |
| Thursday 30.04.2026 | 12.15-14.00 | Kollegienhaus, Aula 033 |
| Thursday 07.05.2026 | 12.15-14.00 | Kollegienhaus, Aula 033 |
| Thursday 14.05.2026 | 12.15-14.00 | Auffahrt |
| Thursday 21.05.2026 | 12.15-14.00 | Kollegienhaus, Aula 033 |
| Thursday 28.05.2026 | 12.15-14.00 | Kollegienhaus, Aula 033 |
| Modules |
Modul: Anglophone Literary and Cultural Studies (Master's degree subject: English) Modul: Literaturgeschichte (Master's degree program: Literary Studies) Modul: Literaturtheorie (Master's degree program: Literary Studies) Module: Advanced Anglophone Literary and Cultural Studies (Bachelor's degree subject: English) Module: Fields: Media and Imagination (Master's degree program: African Studies) Module: Interphilology: Literary and Cultural Studies BA (Bachelor's degree subject: English) Module: Interphilology: Literary and Cultural Studies BA (Bachelor's degree subject: Ancient Civilizations) Module: Interphilology: Literary and Cultural Studies BA (Bachelor's degree subject: German Language and Literature) Module: Interphilology: Literary and Cultural Studies BA (Bachelor's degree subject: French Language and Literature) Module: Interphilology: Literary and Cultural Studies BA (Bachelor's degree subject: Spanish Language and Literature) Module: Interphilology: Literary and Cultural Studies BA (Bachelor's degree subject: Italian Language and Literature) Module: Interphilology: Literary and Cultural Studies BA (Bachelor's degree program: Ancient Civilizations) Module: Interphilology: Literary and Cultural Studies BA (Bachelor's degree subject: Nordic Philology) Module: Interphilology: Literary and Cultural Studies BA (Bachelor's Studies - Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences) Module: Interphilology: Literary and Cultural Studies MA (Master's degree subject: Slavic Studies) Module: Interphilology: Literary and Cultural Studies MA (Master's degree subject: English) Module: Interphilology: Literary and Cultural Studies MA (Master's degree subject: German Language and Literature) Module: Interphilology: Literary and Cultural Studies MA (Master's degree subject: French Language and Literature) Module: Interphilology: Literary and Cultural Studies MA (Master's degree subject: Spanish Language and Literature) Module: Interphilology: Literary and Cultural Studies MA (Master's degree subject: Italian Language and Literature) Module: Interphilology: Literary and Cultural Studies MA (Master's degree subject: German Literature) Module: Interphilology: Literary and Cultural Studies MA (Master's degree subject: Latin Philology) Module: Interphilology: Literary and Cultural Studies MA (Master's degree subject: Nordic Philology) Module: Interphilology: Literary and Cultural Studies MA (Master's Studies - Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences) Module: Introduction to Anglophone Literary and Cultural Studies (Bachelor's degree subject: English) |
| Assessment format | record of achievement |
| Assessment details | Final exam |
| Assessment registration/deregistration | Reg.: course registration; dereg.: not required |
| Repeat examination | one repetition, repetition counts |
| Scale | Pass / Fail |
| Repeated registration | as often as necessary |
| Responsible faculty | Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, studadmin-philhist@unibas.ch |
| Offered by | Fachbereich Englische Sprach- und Literaturwissenschaft |