Module description
This is a core module designed for students on both the BA Religion, Philosophy and Ethics and the BA Sociology, Politics and Religion. It examines the relationship between colonialism, decolonisation, and religion globally from both historical and contemporary perspectives. This includes the ways in which secularism and colonial modernity provided a context for the remaking of religion, as well as the many different forms of colonial power and anti-colonial resistance across the world. Special attention will be paid to questions around gender, class, racialization, and religious minorities. The module also introduces and critically examines formative concepts, theories, and texts related to the post-colonial study of religion, as well as historical arguments from anti- and decolonial perspectives. Examples may be drawn from a variety of contexts and religious traditions such as Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Islam and Judaism, as well as indigenous religious traditions. Moreover, the module will provide students with the opportunity to discuss and engage in debates about the material and institutional legacies of colonialism at the modern university.
Themes and topics to be covered may include but are not limited to: subjectivity and agency; orientalism; the experience of religious minorities and global majorities; anti-colonial nationalism and transnationalism; settler-colonialism; neo-colonialism.
For more information please refer to the module description.
Assessment details
2000 word essay (100%)
Teaching pattern
Weekly two-hour lectures.