THE GLOBAL HUMANITIES: THE LIVES OF DEAD BODIES
In this course we will pursue what Antigone knew: dead bodies signal hidden truths, they demand redress and recompense. Looking at a range of media (fiction, film, graphic art), we will consider how dead, near-dead, or mutilated bodies animate our knowledge of the contemporary social and political world in which we live. Our major examples will be drawn from Sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia. This will take us to what the skeletal remains of the Rwandan genocide or the Sri Lankan civil war still have to tell us with regard to questions of witnessing and responsibility; and to the anguished archives of truth commissions and body counts; and to singular hyper-visible dead bodies in mass media. All the writers, illustrators, and filmmakers we will encounter reflect on what dead or near-dead bodies “tell” us, what they signify, and what ethical demands they place upon those who mourn them. While we will follow this thematic through the course, we will pay close attention to what kinds of formal mechanisms are available in these different media forms through which the dead speak.
Required Texts
Antjie Krog, The Country of My Skull
Joseph Conrad, Heart of Darkness
J. M. Coetzee, Waiting for the Barbarians
Philip Gourevitch, We Wish to Inform You
Arundhati Roy, The God of Small Things
Michael Ondaatje, Anil’s Ghost
Tim Corrigan, A Short Guide to Writing About Film
Course Reader (pick up at Associated Students): collection of criticism and theory, essays, and non-fiction (marked “CR” in folder).
Screenings (Time and Venue TBA)
Gavin Hood, Tsotsi
Mani Ratnam, Dil Se
The X-Files (“Badlaa” or “Revenge”)
For South Africa history see South Africa
