• Krüger Oliver

• Krüger Oliver

Postcolonial theories are concerned with the critical analysis of power structures in the history, culture, literature, and common discourse of European imperialism. Postcolonialist approaches examine the culture and identity of nations or population groups shaped by colonisation contexts. In doing so, they pursue an emancipatory interest through their discursive influence on the reconstruction of the cultural body of knowledge. Postcolonialist theory emerged in in geography, history, cultural studies, literature, political science, sociology, anthropology and the study of religions, among others.

The first part of the seminar is devoted to basic approaches and concepts of postcolonial studies in the works of Edward Said (orientalism), Stuart Hall (culture), Homi Bhabha (hybridity), Gurminder K. Bhambra (rethinking modernity). A special and more recent branch of postcolonial theory is subaltern studies as developed primarily by Gayatri Spivak and Dipesh Chakrabarty.

The second part of the seminar will focus on the problem of religion.  In principle, postcolonial theory questions the legitimacy of the European concept of religion in non-European contexts. It is criticised as a cultural instrument of power of colonial rule. We will therefore look at postcolonial approaches in the strict sense within the study of religions (Talal Asad, Tomoko Masuzawa) and then move to the debate on the limits or even impossibility of a universal concept of religion, which have been partly shaped by postcolonial theories (Timothy Fitzgerald, Russell McCutcheon, Jonathan Z. Smith, Daniel Dubuisson). Finally, we will consider critical voices on postcolonialism (Kevin Schilbrack, Caroline Schaffalitzky de Muckadell) and further perspectives in the study of religions (Richard King).

Aims: Introduction to basic approaches in postcolonial theory and the debate on “religion”.

First session is on 23.9.21.

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