166-445 Postcolonial Concerns, Postmodern Theory

Admission to the postgraduate diploma or fourth year honours in political science, Asian studies, development or cultural studies.

This subject highlights a range of postcolonial concerns (from theories of translation through to subalternity) and utilises a wide body of postmodern theory (Foucault, Derrida, De Certeau etc.) to examine specific issues of social, cultural and economic development. In particular the subject travels from questions of translation, through interpretations of the Maussian notions of the gift that lead to Derrida and Bataille, and finally into an examination of various aspects of commodification. Students who complete this subject should be able to understand the usefulness and importance of postmodern theory and postcolonial concerns; discuss questions of social transition in a broader more theoretically informed manner; and understand the limits of area studies and applied theory approaches to the construction of knowledge.

Written work totalling 5000 words.