WSM4850

Gender, race and empire: feminist readings

Dr Maryanne Dever

12 Points
* 2 hours per week
* First semester
* Clayton.

Objectives On successful completion of this subject, students should have developed a detailed understanding of contemporary theoretical debates in the areas of colonialism and postcolonialism and how they relate to questions of gender and race; a detailed understanding of the cultural contexts which this body of theory attempts to address; an interdisciplinary approach to some of the central debates and issues in relation to questions of race and gender in the colonial domain; a detailed knowledge of a series of key texts - literary, historical, filmic - from within the context of historical colonialism; advanced skills in textual analysis and in the development of argument, both orally and in writing; enhanced skills in the formulating, conducting and presenting of individual research projects.

Synopsis How do questions of gender and race affect debates in the area of colonialism? Can specific discourses of race and sex foster the goals of white supremacy and patriarchy? How do we read the contradictory social positioning of white, middle-class women as both colonised patriarchal objects and colonising race-privileged subjects? Is it possible to locate a genuinely 'postcolonial' space for feminism? `Gender, race and empire' will introduce students to the complex and often problematic relationship between gender, race, and colonialism. In addition to discussion of theoretical perspectives from such critics as Rey Chow, Gayatri Spivak, Trinh Minh-ha, Homi Bhabha, and Ella Shohat, the course will also consider the politics of gender and race within the lived experience of colonialism. The course is designed to be interdisciplinary, incorporating historical, political, literary and filmic perspectives.

Assessment (12 points) Short exercise (3000 words): 30%
* Long essay (6000 words): 50%
* Seminar participation and seminar tasks: 20%

Prescribed texts

Charlotte Bronte Jane Eyre any edition
Daisy Bates The Passing of the Aborigines any edition
H Rider Haggard She any edition
Jean Rhys Wide Sargasso Sea any edition
Glenyse Ward Wandering girl Magabala Books, 1987
Rudyard Kipling Stalky and Co. any edition

Films

David O Selznick King Kong 1933
Frank Hurley A Nation is Built 1938
William Wyler The Letter 1940
Richard Quine The World of Suzie Wong 1960
Tracey Moffat Nice Coloured Girls 1987
ABC TV Bush Tucker Man 1991
A reading pack of excerpts will also be compiled and made available through the Centre for Women's Studies.