Most of the ecological and human cost of the modern lifestyle – the nuclear cycle, hydroelectric mega-dams, clearcutting, the toxic chemical cycle – accrues on indigenous territories and severely threatens the survival of indigenous and poor rural communities, both in the Americas and in developing countries. From a sizeable number of literary texts showing how 'traditional' people live in the ecological shadow of Western modernity, we will discuss four novels by American and postcolonial writers.
Texts to be purchased and read:
- Linda Hogan (1997) Solar Storms. Scribner. ISBN-13: 978-0684825397
- Kiana Davenport (2006) House of Many Gods. Ballantine. ISBN-13: 978-0345481511
- Indra Sinha (2007) Animal's People. Simon & Schuster. ISBN-13: 978-1416526278
- Barbara Kingsolver (2012) Flight Behavior. Harper. ISBN-13: 978-0571290802
A Reader with additional texts (Copy&Paste)
Admission to the class depends on students to sign up electronically. All students have to participate in a QUIZ (Lektürekontrolle) on Indra Sinha's Animal's People, in the first session. Please read and bring along the novel for that purpose. |