Postcolonial Space

This is included in my series on conversations with various scholars and teaches about their work of teaching during the COVID 19 pandemic.  Dr. Naila Sahar did her PhD as a Fulbright scholar at State University of New York, Buffalo in the department of English. The topic of her PhD dissertation is Reimagining Muslim women: Gendered Religious Life and Resistance in the age of Islamophobia. Her research interests include Feminist studies, Islamic feminism, Gender studies, Gendered religious nationalism, South Asian studies and postcolonial studies. Her work has appeared in South Asian Voices, South Asian Review, Gender Matters and Journal of Commonwealth and Postcolonial Studies. These days she is working as Assistant Professor in English department at Forman Christian College (A chartered University), Lahore.

Al Muhaddithat: Women Scholars in Islam by Akram Nadvi| Brief Introduction to the Book This is just a brief introduction to the book so that those interested can read it. I have not tried to explain the book in any way.  

Read at archive.org: LINK

In this episode I discuss the importance of coffeehouses as progressive spiritual places.

In this breif episode I dosucss Chinua Achebe's Things Fall Apart from a postcolonial perspective.

Althusser: Repressive and Ideological State Apparatuses | Ideology

Althusser: Repressive and Ideological State Apparatuses | Ideology This is a brief discussion of  Althusser’s famous essay on ideological and repressive state apparatuses with a detailed discussion of ideology.  

Please listen to the lecture  after you have read the essay itself. The Essay is often anthologized and can also be found in the following book:  Althusser. "Lenin and Philosophy and Other Essays." 

You can find a good discussion of Althusser's theorization of ideology in my following book: Raja. "ISIS: Ideology, Symbolics and Counter Narratives." https://amzn.to/3fIFu2K

God's Bits of Wood by Sembene Ousmane | Senegalese Writers | Postcolonialism This is brief introduction to Sembene Ousmane's 1960 novel "God's Bits of Wood", which was originally published in French and later translated into English. The novel captures the story of Dakar railway strike of 1947-48 Sembene, Ousmane. "God's Bits of Wood." https://amzn.to/3iQ4IxV  Resources: Dakar Railway Strike: https://nvdatabase.swarthmore.edu/content/french-west-african-railway-workers-strike-greater-benefits-1947-1948 My article: https://postcolonial.net/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/Sembene-pdf.pdf

Qurratulain Hyder: River of Fire | Novel Summary | Postcolonialism 

This is abrief introduction to Qurratulain Hyder's novel Aag ka Darya, which she published in 1959. She later also translated (She called it a transcreation) it into English with the title "River of Fire." Here I introduce the English version of River of Fire to a general audience of readers. She is also considered an important Indian feminist urdu writers. What is Postcolonialism: Since I claim to be a postcolonialism scholar, I think it is apt to include a brief description of my field of study. In my view, Postcolonialism ( also written as Post Colonialism or Post-Colonialism) is a dynamic field of literary study that focuses on the history of colonialism and native responses to the colonial policies and life after colonialism formally ends. The field of postcolonialism also offers insights into the literature and culture of the  the former European colonies and their struggles after the end of colonialism.  

Qurratulain Hyder. "River of Fire." https://amzn.to/2ZNr8aA

Efuru (a Novel) | Flora Nwapa | Postcolonialism | Nigerian Writers Published in 1966, Efuru was the first major English novel published by a female Nigerian author. In this brief video I introduce the novel and also share some ideas about the best way of reading, understanding, and teaching it. What is Postcolonialism: Since I claim to be a postcolonialism scholar, I think it is apt to include a brief description of my field of study. In my view, Postcolonialism ( also written as Post Colonialism or Post-Colonialism) is a dynamic field of literary study that focuses on the history of colonialism and native responses to the colonial policies and life after colonialism formally ends. The field of postcolonialism also offers insights into the literature and culture of the  the former European colonies and their struggles after the end of colonialism.  

Flora Nwapa. "Efuru." https://amzn.to/320epE8

Devil on the Cross I Ngugi wa Thiong'O | Postcolonialism | African Writers This is a brief introduction to Ngugi Thiong'O's novel  "Devil on the Cross." Additional resources are available on my website: https://postcolonial.net/2019/07/reading-notes-for-devil-on-the-cross-by-ngugi-wa-thiongo/ Ngui is one of the reading Kenyan writers, critics, and scholars in the field of postcolonial studies.  Ngugi wa Thiong'o. "Devil on the Cross." https://amzn.to/2AJEkol  Description from Amazon: One of the cornerstones of Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o’s fame, Devil on the Cross is a powerful fictional critique of capitalism. It tells the tragic story of Wariinga, a young woman who moves from a rural Kenyan town to the capital, Nairobi, only to be exploited by her boss and later by a corrupt businessman. As she struggles to survive, Wariinga begins to realize that her problems are only symptoms of a larger societal malaise and that much of the misfortune stems from the Western, capitalist influences on her country. An impassioned cry for a Kenya free of dictatorship and for African writers to work in their own local dialects, Devil on the Cross has had a profound influence on Africa and on post-colonial African literature.