GRSJ 425A: Special Topics – Colonialism & After

Instructor: Dr. Jemima Pierre


Examination in depth of selected topics in gender, race, and sexuality. Consult the Workday Student course schedule for course offerings. May be repeated for credit. Recommended pre-requisites: either all of GRSJ 101, GRSJ 102 or third-year standing.


Term 2

* Please note that students who took GRSJ 425 with Dr. Puar in 2023W are not eligible to take this course as it is the same topic

Description: Colonial formations have shaped processes, stories, relationships, and resistance. This course bears witness to the strategies and politics of European colonialism and the emergence of modernity – with regional emphasis on the Caribbean and the continent of Africa. The course will address such topics as the theories of imperial expansion; the rise of “scientific” racism; the technologies of colonial rule; the role of race, culture, and gender/heteropatriarchy in colonial ideologies and practices; the socio-cultural, economic, political, and environmental impact of colonial rule; and the question of decolonization. We will engage with a range of textual and visual sources, including historical writing, political essays, and film.