Gender and the South Asian Diaspora
In this interdisciplinary course we will trace social, political, and economic experiences as well as the aesthetic expressions of South Asians dispersed around the world. Beginning with a theoretical exploration of the concept of diaspora we delineate the historical specificity of the subcontinental experience. The key topics we will consider are labor, the politics of gender and sexuality, cultural production of desi identity, and religion. The course will include literary texts, films, art, and multimedia production. Some of the authors we will consider are: Anita Rau Badami, Jhumpa Lahiri, Shyam Selvadurai, and M. G. Vassanji. The films will include Bhaji on the Beach, My Beautiful Laundrette, My Son the Fanatic, When Mother Comes Home for Christmas, and Bollywood Productions.