134006 VO Colonial Past and Postcolonial Present of the Low Countries Reflected in Literature (2023W)

Course Content:
On 1 July 2023, 150 years after formerly enslaved people in the Dutch colonies were finally free, the Dutch King expressed apologies for the role of the Netherlands in slavery. On 30 June 2020, 60 years after the independence of Congo, the Belgian King expressed deepest regrets for colonial cruelties under Belgian rule. On 10 March 2020, The Dutch King apologized for Dutch violence inflicted on Indonesia during colonial rule. Three recent landmarks in postcolonial discourse in the Low Countries. In this course, Dutch literary texts will serve as a key to discover the colonial past and postcolonial present of both Belgium and the Netherlands. Of course, to appreciate a fictional text, one may require insight in the proper realities from which it originated. The reader may for instance encounter existing personalities like Stanley or Sukarno. Moreover, literary texts can illuminate perspectives from the past, and thus exemplify narratives about the past in the present. In this course, we will read (excerpts from) primary texts to explore the Dutch and Belgian colonial past and consider narratives and perspectives constructing the postcolonial traces in contemporary society.

Course Aims:
Students are familiar with the colonial past of the Low Countries.
Students recognize the narratives primary literary texts present about this colonial past.
Students are able to contextualize social discourses on postcolonial issues.
Students appreciate the role of literary texts in current social discourses.