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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, Hörsaal 001 |
Dates
| Date | Time | Room |
|---|---|---|
| Thursday 19.02.2026 | 12.15-14.00 | Kollegienhaus, Hörsaal 001 |
| Thursday 26.02.2026 | 12.15-14.00 | Fasnachtsferien |
| Thursday 05.03.2026 | 12.15-14.00 | Kollegienhaus, Hörsaal 001 |
| Thursday 12.03.2026 | 12.15-14.00 | Kollegienhaus, Hörsaal 001 |
| Thursday 19.03.2026 | 12.15-14.00 | Kollegienhaus, Hörsaal 001 |
| Thursday 26.03.2026 | 12.15-14.00 | Kollegienhaus, Hörsaal 001 |
| Thursday 02.04.2026 | 12.15-14.00 | Ostern |
| Thursday 09.04.2026 | 12.15-14.00 | Kollegienhaus, Hörsaal 001 |
| Thursday 16.04.2026 | 12.15-14.00 | Kollegienhaus, Hörsaal 001 |
| Thursday 23.04.2026 | 12.15-14.00 | Kollegienhaus, Hörsaal 001 |
| Thursday 30.04.2026 | 12.15-14.00 | Kollegienhaus, Hörsaal 001 |
| Thursday 07.05.2026 | 12.15-14.00 | Kollegienhaus, Hörsaal 001 |
| Thursday 14.05.2026 | 12.15-14.00 | Auffahrt |
| Thursday 21.05.2026 | 12.15-14.00 | Kollegienhaus, Hörsaal 001 |
| Thursday 28.05.2026 | 12.15-14.00 | Kollegienhaus, Hörsaal 001 |
| Modules |
Modul: Advanced Anglophone Literary and Cultural Studies (Bachelor's degree subject: English) Modul: Anglophone Literary and Cultural Studies (Master's degree subject: English) Modul: Interphilologie: Literaturwissenschaft BA (Bachelor's degree subject: English) Modul: Interphilologie: Literaturwissenschaft BA (Bachelor's degree subject: Ancient Civilizations) Modul: Interphilologie: Literaturwissenschaft BA (Bachelor's degree subject: German Language and Literature) Modul: Interphilologie: Literaturwissenschaft BA (Bachelor's degree subject: French Language and Literature) Modul: Interphilologie: Literaturwissenschaft BA (Bachelor's degree subject: Spanish Language and Literature) Modul: Interphilologie: Literaturwissenschaft BA (Bachelor's degree subject: Italian Language and Literature) Modul: Interphilologie: Literaturwissenschaft BA (Bachelor's degree program: Ancient Civilizations) Modul: Interphilologie: Literaturwissenschaft BA (Bachelor's degree subject: Nordic Philology) Modul: Interphilologie: Literaturwissenschaft BA (Bachelor's Studies - Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences) Modul: Interphilologie: Literaturwissenschaft MA (Master's degree subject: Slavic Studies) Modul: Interphilologie: Literaturwissenschaft MA (Master's degree subject: English) Modul: Interphilologie: Literaturwissenschaft MA (Master's degree subject: German Language and Literature) Modul: Interphilologie: Literaturwissenschaft MA (Master's degree subject: French Language and Literature) Modul: Interphilologie: Literaturwissenschaft MA (Master's degree subject: Spanish Language and Literature) Modul: Interphilologie: Literaturwissenschaft MA (Master's degree subject: Italian Language and Literature) Modul: Interphilologie: Literaturwissenschaft MA (Master's degree subject: German Literature) Modul: Interphilologie: Literaturwissenschaft MA (Master's degree subject: Latin Philology) Modul: Interphilologie: Literaturwissenschaft MA (Master's degree subject: Nordic Philology) Modul: Interphilologie: Literaturwissenschaft MA (Master's Studies - Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences) Modul: Introduction to Anglophone Literary and Cultural Studies (Bachelor's degree subject: English) Modul: Literaturgeschichte (Master's degree program: Literary Studies) Modul: Literaturtheorie (Master's degree program: Literary Studies) Module: Fields: Media and Imagination (Master's degree program: African Studies) |
| 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 |