2011-12 AM Representations of Muslims in Literature and Film after 9/11

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  • Time: Tue, 12:00 - 14:00
  • Venue: V02 0-003
  • Lecturer: Daniel Sip and Anna Auguscik
  • Combination:: AM 2b, 3b, 4b, 10, 11


Course Description

The Representation of Muslims in the West through Literature, Film and the Arts has a history that can be traced back to the dawn of imperial expansion. It found a first major theoretical embracing within Edward W. Said's work on Orientalism and has since been developed further in the disciplines of sociology, political sciences, post-colonial studies, humanities, history and others. Since 9/11 (and the events in London coined 7/7) Muslims, the Arab world (if one can speak of such) and Islam has been discussed fervently against the background of terrorism. This had significant social impact on the societies spoken about but also left a strong mark on countries like Britain where Muslims of many origins and ethnicities found a home. In this course we will analyse three books (two novels and a non-fictional autobiographical account), and a movie - all of which were published after 9/11. We will try to understand the complex web of representation and reception which these works produce. Theories of Orientalism, Post-Colonial theory and theories of representation will be part of our toolkit.

Students should purchase and read in advance:

  • Moshin Hamid: The Reluctant Fundamentalist (Penguin: 2008)
  • H.M. Naqvi: Home Boy (Crown: 2009)
  • Shelina Zahra Janmohamed: Love in a Headscarf: Muslim woman seeks the One (Aurum Press: 2009)

[All three are available at the CvO Bookshop]

We will also provide a screening of Chris Morris' Four Lions (2010).

Additional materials for preparation, as well as the detailed syllabus, will be made available here.

Course Requirements: for 3 KP: regular attendance, an oral contribution in the form of a presentation and participation in an ‘expert group’ that will prepare a certain aspect of the seminar’s topic for the final discussion.

Requirements for 6 KP: as above, with a term paper of ca. 10 pp. based on the topic of the presentation.

Requirements for 9 KP: as above, with a term paper of ca. 15-20 pp. based on the topic of the presentation.

As part of the "Aktive Teilnahme" regulation:

Die aktive Teilnahme besteht aus folgenden Komponenten

  • regelmäßige Anwesenheit: max. 3 Abwesenheiten und gegebenenfalls Nacharbeit
  • Vor- und Nachbereitung des Seminarstoffs (z. B. Protokolle, Aufgaben, Vorbereitung/Lektüre von Texten)
  • Entwicklung einer wissenschaftlichen Fragestellung aus dem Problembereich des Seminars, z.B. durch:
  • Übernahme von Impulsreferaten, Präsentationen, Kurzpräsentationen o.ä.
  • Entwicklung einer Research Paper Outline im Laufe des Semesters (die Zeitangaben verstehen sich als Empfehlungen): Wahl eines Themenbereichs (3.-5.Woche), Eingrenzung (ca. 8.-10.Woche), Abstract mit Fragestellung inkl. Forschungsbibliographie (RPO) (ca. 12.Woche), Vorstellung der Fragestellung in der letzten Semestersitzung.

Bibliography

Primary Material:

  • Moshin Hamid: The Reluctant Fundamentalist (Penguin: 2008)
  • H.M. Naqvi: Home Boy (Crown: 2009)
  • Shelina Zahra Janmohamed: Love in a Headscarf: Muslim woman seeks the One (Aurum Press: 2009)
  • Four Lions. 2010. Christopher Morris (dir.), 7 May 2010 (UK).

Secondary Material

01.11.11

Introductory session

08.11.11

A new Marketing Niche: Muslim Writers Awards, Marketing Muslim Fiction, Genres

Chambers, Claire. "Multi-Culti Nancy Mitfords and Halal Novelists: The Politics of Marketing Muslim Writers in the UK." Textus 23.2 (2010): 389-404. Print.

15.11.11

Discussion of Shelina Zahra Janmohamed's Love in a Headscarf: Muslim woman seeks the One

22.11.11

The Reluctant Fundamentalist: Narration, Characterisation

29.11.11

The Reluctant Fundamentalist: Structure, Themes and Motifs

06.12.11

Home Boy: Narration, Characterisation

13.12.11

Home Boy: Structure, Themes and Motifs

20.12.11

Discussion of Four Lions

12.01.11

Edward W. Said: "The Scope of Orientalism". Orientalism. New York, NY: Vintage. 1977. 29-49.(1977)

[Hand in RPO]

19.01.11

Emma Tarlo: "Hijab in London: Metamorphosis, Resonance and Effects." Journal of Material Culture. 12(2): 131–156. Print

26.01.11

Peter Morey, Amina Yaqin. "Muslims, Multiculturalism, and the Media." Framing Muslims. Cambridge et.al.: Harvard UP, 2011. 44-78. Print.

02.02.11

Critical Discussion I

09.02.11

Critical Discussion II

16.02.11

Discussing Term Paper Projects

Further Reading

  • Shelina Janmohamed's Blog
  • Morey, Peter. "'The Rules of the Game Have Changed': Mohsin Hamid's the Reluctant Fundamentalist and Post-9/11 Fiction." Journal of Postcolonial Writing 47.2 (2011): 135-46. Print.
  • Bayoumi, Mustafa. "The Race Is On: Muslims and Arabs in the American Imagination." Middle East Report Online: Interventions (March 2010). <http://www.merip.org/mero/interventions/race>.
  • Hartnell, Anna. "Moving through America: Race, Place and Resistance in Mohsin Hamid's the Reluctant Fundamentalist." Journal of Postcolonial Writing 46.3-4 (2010): 336-48. Print.
  • Scanlan, Margaret. "Migrating from Terror: The Postcolonial Novel after September 11." Journal of Postcolonial Writing 46.3-4 (2010): 266-78. Print.
  • Cilano, Cara. "Manipulative Fictions: Democratic Futures in Pakistan." From Solidarity to Schisms: 9/11 and after in Fiction and Film from Outside the Us. Ed. Cilano, Cara. Amsterdam, Netherlands: Rodopi, 2009. 201-18. Print.
  • Modood, Tariq. Multiculturalism: A Civic Idea. Cambridge: Polity, 2007. Print.
  • Rahman, Saeed ur. "Success of Understatement." The News International: Literati (Karachi) 29 April 2007. Web. <http://mohsinhamid.com/trfthenewsreview.html>
  • Olsson, Karen. "I Pledge Allegiance " New York Times: Sunday Book Review (2007). Web. <http://www.nytimes.com/2007/04/22/books/review/Olsson.t.html?_r=1&oref=slogin>.
  • Baudrillard, Jean. The Spirit of Terrorism. London: Verso, 2002. Print.
  • Said, Edward W. "Orientalism." The Edward Said Reader. Eds. Bayoumi, Moustafa and Andrew Rubin. New York: Vintage, 2000. Print.
  • Hall, Stuart: Representation: Cultural Representations and Signifying Practices. London: Sage, 1997. [C.v.O. library: asl 083 CC 5287]
  • Said, Edward W. Covering Islam: How the Media and the Experts Determine How We See the Rest of the World. London: Vintage, 1997. Print.
  • Edward W. Said. Orientalism. New York: Vintage Books, 1977. Print.