Postcolonial studies

Much research in the Department is concerned with literature written outside the confines of the British Isles. In recent years articles and monographs have been published on writers from across the globe, and we have particular strengths in Caribbean, South African, Canadian, Irish, and Palestinian-Israeli writing.

Another distinctive feature of the Department’s research is its commitment to the historical analysis of the literary, linguistic, and cultural forms of the colonial epoch. In this area, investigations have been completed into nineteenth-century constructions of race, empire, and colonialism; the relationship between autobiography and postnational identity; and the colonial management of aboriginal languages and English respectively.

In recent years, researchers working in postcolonial studies have organised a series of international colloquia which have been successful in attracting high-profile academics as well as some of the key figures in postcolonial literature.

Staff working in these areas include: