ANY3430

Civilisation and its malcontents

Michael Stevenson

8 points
* 2 hours per week
* Second semester
* Clayton

Objectives Students can expect to develop knowledge about the long-term historical, cultural and social consequences of the encounters between Europeans and the peoples of the Americas; an overview of the transformations in the lives and relationships of indigenous peoples brought about by colonialism; an enhanced comparative awareness of the experiences and struggles of indigenous peoples; a familiarity with the work of various indigenous writers; a deeper reflective knowledge of the contribution of indigenous peoples to the making of the modern world and its multi-cultural consciousness.

Synopsis 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.

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 Now that the buffalo's gone Knopf, 1982
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