Empire and Film

3 Credits · Level: Graduate, Undergraduate

Stemming from TS Eliot’s notion of the “historical sense,” which he defines as “a perception, not only of the pastness of the past, but of its presence,” this course engages with reconstructions of the imperial past in modern cinema. Beginning with Edward Said’s observations about “the privileged role of culture in the modern imperial experience,” this course aims to explore the ways in which films have contributed to contemporary understandings and interpretations of empire. Contrasting historical narratives with representations of modern empires in Western cinema, the course offers historical and theoretical readings on empire to contextualize discussions of film representations of British, French, and American empires. In weekly discussions students will be expected to offer critical analysis of the representations of empire in films. The final unit of the course will shift to portrayal from historical to fictional empires in fantasy and science fiction films in an attempt to draw parallels on the construction of national imperial mythologies through fictional empires. Taught in Doha Qatar.