EWL 329 Reading the Contemporary Caribbean
In this course, we will examine selected works of contemporary Caribbean writers in the context of Caribbean literary traditions as well as colonial, postcolonial, and diasporic history. In discussing class readings, we will focus on questions of race, language, identity, gender roles, labor, migration, and cultural hybridity, with particular emphasis on the encounter between oral and written forms of storytelling. In addition to reading literary texts, we will consider Caribbean music, film, food, and tourism, as well as examine colonialism’s continuing influence in the global contemporary world. All texts will be read in English.