Authorised by Academic Registrar, April 1996
Synopsis The subject centres on a critical examination of the contributions to theories of cultural difference of Pierre Bourdieu and Gayatri Chakravorty Spivak. Both theorists have confronted the complex interrelationship between on the one hand the formation and transformation of systems of cultural differentiation and on the other the formation and transformation of systems of enduring social inequality. While Bourdieu has concentrated on the reproduction of social class, Spivak has turned her attention to the reproduction of inequalities based in gender differentiation and imperialist domination. The subject is not confined to the consideration of issues that arise within Western societies but deals also with those that arise within the context of our relationships with Asia and India in particular.
Assessment (8 points) One class exercise (1500 words): 25% + Essay (4500 words): 75%
Assessment (12 points) Two class exercises (1500 words each): 15% each + Essay (6000 words): 70%