Literature Blog

For your final project, you will be contributing to a blog on the topic of postcolonial analysis in the 21st century.   Initially, the term “postcolonial” was applied to literature originating in waves of independence from previously colonized regions of the world (1950s-1990s). Nonetheless, the effects of those colonial relationships are ongoing even today. This blog is dedicated to collecting examples of current texts (1990-2015) that could benefit from postcolonial analysis. These might be instances of film, television, advertising (i.e. branding), social media, music, video games, and physical spaces, as well as more traditional forms of literature.   A blog (short for weblog) is a hybrid form of writing originally used by journalists, but more recently adopted by academics to “test-drive” some of their theories and experiences. It is a blend of personal reflection and analysis. Blogs act as digital portfolios that showcase work and mastery of concepts and participation in a community of practice. Because of their public nature, they can be shared as writing samples for future career steps as well.    An ethnography is a study of people and cultures. So for this project, you will be focusing on the people of the 21st century world. As a multimodal form of social media, a blog incorporates elements of visual design, sound, video, and interactivity to invite audience participation and engagement.   Think of it as an opportunity to display your acquired knowledge and push the ideas past the discussions of the literature.  Blog Resources:  •Ethnographic Blogging: http://openanthcoop.ning.com/forum/topics/ethnographic-blogging •Why I Blog: http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2008/11/why-i-blog/307060/  Sample Blogs:  •Hybridity in Postcolonial Literature: https://taniathossainsight.wordpress.com/2014/03/16/hybridity-in-postcolonial-literature/ •Postcolonial Digital Humanities: http://dhpoco.org/blog/ •A Brief History of Postcolonial Literature: http://blog.bookstellyouwhy.com/a-brief-history-of-postcolonial-literature-part-i •Andrew Simile Postcolonial Literature Blog: http://apsimile.blogspot.com  Your Final Project submission must include three specific sections:  Summary: Provide a summary of Postcolonial theory. What is it? What is it concerned with? How is it a tool for looking at the world today? Why is it important? Consider when and how it emerged as a school of thought and give concrete examples to anchor your explanations. The goal of this section is to demonstrate your command of the theory and reflect on its intended purpose.  Reflection: Choose the Postcolonial theme that has most resonated with you this term. Discuss yourself and your experiences in relation to that theme. Be specific, taking your reflection beyond general observations. The goal of this section is to demonstrate in what ways the theories have been relevant to your life or have caused you to reflect on your experiences.   Application: Locate two (2) 21st-century texts that you find promising for Postcolonial analysis, and perform a succinct analysis of each. What themes emerge, and what are the messages about those themes? How does the theory illuminate your experience of the text? The goal of this section is to take the theory beyond the texts to identify how the concepts apply to the world around us.