127013 KO Critical Readings in Literature (2024S)

In this Critical Readings course, we will examine contemporary Black British and Asian British Literature in its political and cultural contexts. Throughout, we will analyse novels, essays, and poems by contemporary writers, among them Caleb Azumah Nelson, Sairish Hussain and Angela Hui, and interpret them with the help of critical and cultural theories by key thinkers such as Stuart Hall and Sara Ahmed, exploring how the literary writers’ texts shape and reflect on the intersections of race, power, class, and migration. Additionally, we will investigate contemporary debates on (anti)racism, national and racial identity, and questions of cultural and religious difference. Through their works, Black British and Asian British writers are challenging conventional and stereotypical narratives, sparking important debates around questions of home and belonging and opening up new perspectives, voices and experiences that were previously underrepresented or silenced in the literary world.

Course outcomes:
- Students will engage critically with Black British and Asian British Literature from different theoretical perspectives.
- Students will gain an understanding of the political, social and cultural contexts of such pieces of contemporary writing.
- Students will be able to analyse the intersections of race, power, class and migration in these texts.
- Students will develop their practical skills in the analysis of literary texts and academic writing.