CHUM 23A01 - Thanatology of Empire: perspectives in decoloniality and posthumanism

Is empire dead? This humanities course aims to answer this question through the study and discussion of works on post-colonialism, decoloniality, and posthumanism. This course is an attempt to academically travel through time and space, exploring how imperialism persists as a living-dead force – a necro-force – in modern history. We will delve into social issues and decolonial thinking, constantly dialoguing with critical theory and philosophies to challenge both our Eurocentric and Anthropocentric perspectives. Designed as a seminar elective for second-year BA students, this course aims to introduce these topics in an accessible way, focusing on key concepts and definitions while examining the intersections of decolonial thought and posthumanism. Students will be encouraged to reconsider Western epistemologies, amplify the voices of the Global South, question periphery-making worldviews, and critique imperial hierarchies that define the “Orient” and the “Third World”. The first part of this course will be a study of decolonial approaches to empire. The second will introduce ideas on imperial violence, viewing them through the lens of necropolitics and posthumanism. We will discuss the role of necropolitics in current ruinous imperial contexts and the whole of the more-than-human in ideas which offer possibilities of resistance to such scenarios.

Seminar format. The content is based on the main readings of each week. The idea here is also to foster democratic class discussion, composed of active dialogue and eventual written activities.

1°) Presentation of one of the topics of the course, leading the discussion of the texts and main concepts of the week (20%).

2°) Class participation (engaging in our discussions, activities, and presentations) (20%).

3°) End of term research project, which includes a presentation of your project, and a final take-home essay (60%).