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142216 SE Tribal literature and languages in 20th-century Eastern Himalayas: claiming recognition and rights (2023W)

Continuous assessment of course work

Registration/Deregistration

Note: The time of your registration within the registration period has no effect on the allocation of places (no first come, first served).

Details

Language: English

Lecturers

Classes (iCal) - next class is marked with N

  • Wednesday 04.10. 10:00 - 11:30 Seminarraum 5 ISTB UniCampus Hof 4 2C-O1-34
  • Wednesday 11.10. 10:00 - 11:30 Seminarraum 5 ISTB UniCampus Hof 4 2C-O1-34
  • Wednesday 18.10. 10:00 - 11:30 Seminarraum 5 ISTB UniCampus Hof 4 2C-O1-34
  • Wednesday 25.10. 10:00 - 11:30 Seminarraum 5 ISTB UniCampus Hof 4 2C-O1-34
  • Wednesday 08.11. 10:00 - 11:30 Seminarraum 5 ISTB UniCampus Hof 4 2C-O1-34
  • Wednesday 15.11. 10:00 - 11:30 Seminarraum 5 ISTB UniCampus Hof 4 2C-O1-34
  • Wednesday 22.11. 10:00 - 11:30 Seminarraum 5 ISTB UniCampus Hof 4 2C-O1-34
  • Wednesday 29.11. 10:00 - 11:30 Seminarraum 5 ISTB UniCampus Hof 4 2C-O1-34
  • Wednesday 06.12. 10:00 - 11:30 Seminarraum 5 ISTB UniCampus Hof 4 2C-O1-34
  • Wednesday 13.12. 10:00 - 11:30 Seminarraum 5 ISTB UniCampus Hof 4 2C-O1-34
  • Wednesday 10.01. 10:00 - 11:30 Seminarraum 5 ISTB UniCampus Hof 4 2C-O1-34
  • Wednesday 17.01. 10:00 - 11:30 Seminarraum 5 ISTB UniCampus Hof 4 2C-O1-34
  • Wednesday 24.01. 10:00 - 11:30 Seminarraum 5 ISTB UniCampus Hof 4 2C-O1-34
  • Wednesday 31.01. 10:00 - 11:30 Seminarraum 5 ISTB UniCampus Hof 4 2C-O1-34

Information

Aims, contents and method of the course

The goal of this seminar is to present literary and language recognition movements in the eastern Himalayas with a particular focus on West Bengal and Sikkim from the early 20th century until today. This concerns Nepali literature, as well as the literary movements and claims for language recognition of the Bhutia, Lepcha and Limbu in Sikkim, Darjeeling and Kalimpong.
This seminar firstly focuses on the conditions of emergence of these movements in the early 20th century, in particular the development of Nepali literature, and colonisation. It will also highlight the different forms taken by literary/linguistic movements in the different parts of this region, as well as the connections across state and regional borders. In a second phase, the course will focus on literary movements and language recognition claims of minority groups with a particular focus on the Lepcha, Bhutia and Limbu communities. Through a comparison with Dalit and Adivasi literary movements in north-east India, the course will highlight cultural, social and political conditions of the construction of ‘literary identities’ and ‘textual cultures’ in the eastern Himalayas, and highlight the interactions between recent literary movements in the region and political claims.
The objective of this seminar is to gain knowledge on modern cultural and political history of the eastern Himalayas, on minorities’ literary movements in South Asia, on the effect colonialism in cultural dynamics, and on the interplay of literary movements and political claims. The course will also enable students to strengthen their experience in understanding academic texts, and writing an essay.
Each seminar session will focus on one academic text (article or book chapter) circulated by the lecturer, and that the students will have to read beforehand.

Assessment and permitted materials

To pass this seminar, students will have to complete three tasks during the semester
1) Students will be given one academic text (article or book chapter) to read per week, and will have to prepare answers to questions on this text as a basis for group discussion during the course sessions. All texts will be provided by the lecturer.
2) Oral presentation on the topic of the seminar paper
3) Seminar paper.

Minimum requirements and assessment criteria

- Oral and written participation during the course: 30%
- Presentation of the seminar paper: 20%
- Seminar paper: 50%

1 (very good): 100-90 points
2 (good): 89-80 points
3 (satisfactory): 79-70 points
4 (sufficient): 69-60 points
5 (not sufficient): less than 60 points.

Examination topics

The literature discussed during the course sessions will be provided by the lecturer, and will focus on minorities’ literary movements in the eastern Himalayas and Northeast India, on languages of the eastern Himalaya, on language recognition movements and people’s claims related to languages in this region. For the seminar paper, the students will choose a topic related to the literature.

Reading list

First readings (more reading material will be provided during the semester)
- Blackburn, Stuart. 2018 “Unscripted: The People of Arunachal Pradesh in Literary and Other National Histories”, in Hans Harder (ed), Literature and Nationalist Ideology Writing Histories of Modern Indian Languages. London & New York: Routledge, pp. 305-322
- Chalmers, Rhoderick. 2007. “Nepal and the Eastern Himalayas”, in Andrew Simpson (ed), Language and National Identity in Asia. Oxford: Oxford University Press, pp. 84-99.
- Chhetri, Nilamber. 2023. The politics of ethnic renewal in Darjeeling: Gorkhas and the struggle for tribal recognition. New York: Routledge
- Majeed, Javed. 2012. “Literary Modernity in South Asia”, in Douglas M. Peers, Nandini Gooptu (eds), India and the British Empire. Oxford: Oxford University Press, pp. 262-283

Association in the course directory

MASK7
IMAK7

Last modified: Fr 29.09.2023 10:27