Subalternities and postcolonial critiques: an introduction through history

Since the mid-20th century, with the women’s liberation movement and post- and decolonial movements, several currents and theories have emerged and are reshaping the way we write history and interpret contemporary societies (gender studies, Subaltern Studies, connected history, postcolonial studies, etc.).
These critical and analytical tools encourage a ‘decentring’ of geographical, mental and temporal perspectives and enable us to understand past and present systems of thought and action, both here and elsewhere, from a different perspective.
This course will enable students to acquire the basic knowledge (theoretical frameworks and analytical tools) and to gain practical experience of ‘decentring’ in history, by incorporating ‘subaltern’ actors – who are often rendered invisible – into the historical narrative
The aim will be to learn how to utilise practical tools (historiographical schools and their methods) to decipher past and present societies from the perspective of power relations, in a critical and nuanced manner.