Cultures of Empire

The goal of this course is to research and produce a piece of original historical scholarship, drawing on methodologies developed during the cultural turn in the study of empires. Early semester readings address approaches to studying empire (Marxian, Subaltern Studies, Cultural Studies, etc.) and various locations: British India, Japanese Manchuria, and Netherlands Indies, among others. The course then evolves into a history writing workshop for the rest of the semester, paying attention also to historical writing, including style, form, and narrative strategies. Relevant to historical inquiry into cross-cultural encounters in any time period.