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This seminar is a bit of an experiment. The guaranteed part is that we will read a lot of theory (mostly essays or individual chapters) on “identity” and “identities”. What makes up my/your identity? Which aspects figure into it? Is identity a pure fiction? Is it a performance? Should we speak of several identities and call the person a “bricoleur”? What roles do moments of social differentiation such as race, class, gender, sexuality etc. play? Which role does the body, embodiment play? Which role emotion/affect? The experiment will be where exactly this leads and how we relate the theories to the four books discussed in class: Franklin’s classical autobiography (18th century), Catherine Maria Sedgwick’s rebellious novel Hope Leslie (19th century), Nella Larsen’s pessimistic Passing (20th century), and Ta Nehisi Coates’s cautious and critical Between the World and Me.
There will be a moodle site for this class: keyword “Bricolage”.
Reading:
- Theoretical reading material will be uploaded on Moodle by April 1st. Beside the theoretical texts, we will read the following historical/literary texts (please get these texts and start reading before the semester starts):
- Benjamin Franklin, The Autobiography (1771-1790)
- Catherine Maria Sedgwick, Hope Leslie (1827)
- Nella Larsen, Passing (1929)
- Ta Nehisi Coates, Between the World and Me (2015)
Requirements:
The requirement for the class is presence, participation and a study journals with 8 entries, reflecting on the discussions in our classes. For the MAP you will have to write a term paper (Modules 4 or 5) or a book review (Modules 9 or 10).
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