Colonialism/Ecology FrSpkWorld

3 Credits · Level: Graduate, Undergraduate

This course explores the articulations and intersections of French colonial history and the ecological impacts of colonialism to this day in the wide Francophone world. As early as the seventeenth century, European colonial powers expanded their influence, exploiting both colonized populations and the land, seeking ecological domination, and committing environmental injustice against local populations. What were the characteristics of land inequality and exploitation during colonial rule? And in a contemporary context, what are the enduring effects of colonial rule on the land and local communities? We will first analyze the ways in which text and image reflect colonial land-use practices and the legacies of environmental, social and political exploitation. When examining literature and visual media, we will also pay particular attention to ways of imagining ecological solidarity and sustainability between the human and non-human worlds. Topics broadly include: plantation society; forms of colonial dispossession; human-produced ecological disasters (e.g. deforestation, plastic pollution, water poisoning); humanitarian aid; and forms of environmental sustainability and resilience. The course assumes no prior experience with the topics highlighted in the description.