Transculturalism in Literatures of Europe and the Americas

3 credits · Undergraduate

(3 hrs Seminar/Discussion) The last decades have seen a significant increase in transcultural studies, ranging from culture anthropology, political philosophy to literary studies. This course explores principal tenets of transculturalism (Bouchard, Imbert, Welsch) and studies Francophone writers from Europe and the Americas (Le Clézio, Nothomb, Robin, Laferrière) who showcase literature's potential of engaging aspects of transcultural paradigms: self-other, belonging-exclusion, pure-hybrid, here-there. By studying potential paths towards a theory of transcultural literary interpretation, students learn to avoid worshipping binary pairs such as particularism and universalism, diversity and homogenization, nationalism and cosmopolitanism. Restrictions: Honours Form Required. Requisite Courses: 6 credit hours of French Studies literature courses at the 2000-level or permission of the instructor [prerequisite(s)].