230623 Decolonization: The British Empire Strikes Back (S) (WiSe 2008/2009)

In 1982, members of the Centre for Contemporary Cultural Studies in Birmingham collectively published a study with the title The Empire Strikes Back. They discussed the thesis that colonialism and its aftermath had changed not only the former colonies but also the "motherland" - Britain.

Starting out from this premise, our course will analyse what decolonization meant for different parts of the world. Since the British Empire was large and complex in structure, I suggest that we focus on three countries as case studies: Kenya, Nigeria, and Britain. We will try to find out the reasons for British governments to accept the end of their rule over most of the UK's "overseas possessions" - did they react to political, social, cultural, and intellectual challenges to colonialism - or has the empire simply become too expensive? Did colonised people free themselves or did they profit from changes in international politics? Is there any truth in the myth that, in the British case, decolonization was a more "civilised" affair than in those of France, Portugal, etc.? What are the remains and consequences of colonialism these days?

We will try to come to terms with these issues on the basis of investigating a wide variety of sources from historiography, social theory, and postcolonial studies. But we will also discuss two novels, one by a Kenyan and the other by a Nigerian writer, dealing with the topic of decolonisation: Ngugi wa Thiongo's A Grain of Wheat (1967) and Ben Okri¿s The Famished Road (1991).

A reader with materials will be provided in the first session - but please start reading the novels as soon as possible.