MDL313   Spanish Colonialism in North Africa and its Legacy   (20 credits)

Description

This module explores the complex dimensions of Spain's colonial and postcolonial relationship with North Africa by examining an array of cultural texts that date from just prior to the establishment of the protectorate in Morocco (1912-1956), to Spain's rapid transformation from emigrant to host country for immigration after 1986. The module focuses particularly on the ways in which renegotiations of gender roles, sexuality and, crucially, the conception and treatment of Spain's 'others', are closely related to the development of the colonial project and its legacy. Key issues include the relationship between Spanish feminism and colonial subalternity; the construction of Nationalist identity during the Civil War and dictatorship, and attendant notions of Spanish masculinity and femininity; racism and the concomitant deployment of discourses of convivencia from the colonial period to the more recent contexts of multiculturalism and immigration. Special emphasis is placed on "Spanish Orientalism", i.e. the notion that Spain has a long history of being both an Orientalized and Orientalizing nation, and the resulting implications for national-cultural identity.

Reading List