The aim of this course is to trace the representations of the racialized other in American literature and culture. The course will explore how the new nation’s attempt to constrict the boundaries of American identity into a fixed, pure and homogenous body of values, unleashed the forces of racial and cultural exclusion. The multicultural complexities of “American identity” will be brought into focus through a thorough study of various works by Native American, African American, Asian American, Hispanic American writers, side by side with literary and dramatic works by white American authors.
The students will:
become familiar with the concept of American diversity and otherness
study representative texts of the 20th and 21st American theatre and culture
explore the process of American identity-formation and assimilation or exclusion
analyze the aesthetics and the ideas inherent in the texts for the better understanding of the persistence of social stereotypes and cultural constraints
