Civilisation and its malcontents
M Stevenson
8 points * 2 hours per week * Second semester * Clayton
The subject deals with texts that relate to the following argument: an important force in the making of contemporary civilisation has been the encounter, and its aftermath, between peoples leading distinctively different modes of life. One such significant encounter for example is that between native peoples of Europe and the native peoples of the Americas. The nature and dynamics of these encounters, often destructive to the point of ethnocide, also produce movements of criticism and opposition. The malcontents create forms of consciousness and organisation which, while modern in themselves, strive to counter the general destruction and alienation created by modernity itself. What emerges is a critique of contemporary civilisation and yet new identities, social movements with their own programs and literatures.
Assessment
Two essays (3000 words): 50% each
Prescribed texts
Berkhofer R F The white man's Indian Random House, 1979
Hulme P (ed.) Wild majesty CUP, 1992
James C L R The black Jacobins Vintage, 1989
Jennings F The invasion of America Norton, 1976
Josephy A M The patriot chief Penguin, 1976
Josephy A M Red power Bison, 1985
Momaday N S House made of dawn Harper and Row, 1977
Momaday N S The names U Arizona P, 1987
Silko L Ceremony Penguin, 1986