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This will be the second of three weeks in which we will look at the beginnings of English-language Literature in Singapore. We'll be looking at the production of a local elite culture in the pages of the Straits Chinese Magazine, and trying to trace the contours of the culture. Try to read the articles not just for their manifest content, but also for what is latent, using techniques you've developed through literary study. What kind of values do they implicitly subsribe to?
The theoretical texts I have chosen are from the writings of historian Partha Chatterjee, a member of the subaltern studies collective. Chatterjee has been influential in arguing that there's a profound connection between nationalism and proto-nationalism on one hand and colonialism on the other. While nationalism presents itself as the opposite of colonialism, it in fact takes over many of the structures and discursive elements of colonial rule. Chatterjee's intervention in postcolonial studies has been enormously influential, although some have found him overly pessimistic. Chatterjee writes almost exclusively about colonial Bengal--our challenge will be to try to apply his ideas to the context of Singapore and the writings of the Straits Chinese in particular. Chatterjee's writings are complex, and thus I've added links to brief introduction I produced for another class.
Post a 100-200 word reply to any ONE of the following questions to our IVLE bulletin board by 10 p.m. the day before our class meeting. Make sure you print out a copy of your response and bring it to class for discussion.
1. Choose any one of the articles which I have asked you to print out for discussion. Does anything in it resonate with any one of the concepts or issues raised by Chatterjee? Be as specific as possible here, locating specific passages.
2. Read "Our Programme" again. Think of it as a sugar-coated pill. It attempts to be palatable to the colonial authorities, but it also contains core elements which question the authority of aspects of colonialism. Identify both the sugar-coating and the core elements. Is the sugar coating too thick, too thin, or just about right?
3. How successful do you think the two reviews of Hugh Clifford's fiction are in "Contesting Cultural Stereotypes"? Give concrete reasons to back up your argument.
Last updated: 29 December, 2003