135051 PS Social History of Lit. (PS): Contemporary London: Textual and Visual Migrations (2020S)

This seminar explores contemporary textual and visual representations of London across a variety of media. While London has long benefited from migration to the city, both new arrivals and those with a family history of migration often face persistent discrimination and are frequently portrayed negatively within media and political discourse. Drawing on readings from post-colonial and contemporary feminist theories, this seminar will consider how textual and visual strategies might work to challenge negative stereotypes, write-back to discrimination, and reconstruct London as it is represented. Themes for discussion in class will include the intersections between migration, gender, and class; hybridity and mobility; segregation and discrimination; violence and the body; and cultural constructions of the family and the home.