Undergraduate Course Pages > Introductory Seminar: Discovering Others II

July 11: The last official meeting of the seminar addressed two important issues raised by students outside of class, Michiko Haneda’s concerns that the methodological practices of cultural anthropology turn the people of another culture into “objects” for study, and Namiko Tabuchi’s interest in exploring the relation of representation, discourse, objectivity, and the text, so to speak, of this (or any other) seminar. The sophistication of these concerns led to an attempt to position the work of the seminar in relation to the areas of inquiry addressed by the Social Sciences. The central point was that interdisciplinary work of the last (particularly) thirty years has called seriously into question the positivist assumptions upon which these “sciences” were based as they emerged in the nineteenth century. The series of seminars offered here—Discovering Others I and II, Case Studies I and II, and the graduate courses in Cultural Studies and Orientalism—are intended, by turning to writers such as Edward Said, for example, to provide students a theoretical frame that will make their engagement with the concerns of the social sciences more intelligent, judicious, flexible, and current.

Students are reminded of individual conferences to be held July 16 and 17. I shall be in my office from 1:00 to 5:00 both days.

July 4: Discussion of a time that this seminar may continue in the autumn term. Wednesday afternoons, 1:20-3:50 seem a possibility. Discussion of the nature and content of the 2004-2005 Case Studies I seminar that is intended to follow on the work of this seminar. Good introductory presentation on the nature and content of the field of postcolonial studies by Namiko Tabuchi and Yoko Kinbara.

June 27: Excellent presentation in overview of Edward Said’s work by Michiko Haneda and Shiho Takaso, and of the final chapter of A&A by Akiko Okamoto. Fifteen- to thirty-minute student presentations on the categories of the links page here begin July 4.

June 20: Discussion of Said’s “theory of resistance” as set forth in Culture and Imperialism. We’ll finish A&A next week. Discussion of “Palestine” will be led by Michiko Haneda and Shiho Takaso, of “After Said” by Akiko Okamoto.

June 13: Lecture on the importance of Said’s Culture and Imperialism, and its applicability to the concerns and practices that grow out of a seminar such as this. Particular attention was given the concept of a “contrapuntal” or “polyphonic” reading practice. This lecture will conclude June 20 with discussion of the “theory of resistance” that emerges in Culture and Imperialism, particularly the concept of the “voyage in.” The first questions to be addressed in this second part of the lecture—and the homework is to prepare a response to these—are: What is the theory of resistance resisting? Why do we need resistance? Resistance to what?

I hope that as these extended discussions of Said’s work come to a close students will retain from them a clear understanding of several important concepts. These include, of course, the concept of Orientalism as a discourse and the concept of a discourse itself, but also the idea of the “worldliness” of texts and of those who construct texts, the idea that all texts, because of this worldliness, also, necessarily, have an “inside” (an us, a we, a self) and an “outside” (a them, an other), and the idea that because of this a “contrapuntal” reading (and writing) is possible.

June 6: Student-led discussion of A & A chapter 4, “Culture as Imperialism.” The June 13 seminar meeting will begin with summary comments about that chapter. Homework: Read A & A chapter 5, “Palestine,” and the closing section of the book, “After Said.” We’ll conclude Ashcroft and Ahluwalia either June 13 or June 20, and so students should begin preparing for the presentations (see notes at May 30 below) that will follow.

May 30: Informal presentation, admirably tied to the themes of the seminar, by Michiko Haneda, about her recent experience in Iran. Conclusion of discussion of A & A chapter 3, “Orientalism.” Homework: 1) finish reading and prepare a written reaction to A & A chapter 4, “Culture as Imperialism”; 2) look at the links page and select from it a category for a formal presentation when we have finished A & A. All categories are acceptable except Online Resources, Miscellaneous, and Edward Said. This leaves Pierre Bourdieu, Noam Chomsky, Critical/cultural theory, Michel Foucault, Intertextuality, Media Studies, Postcolonial theory, Postmodernism, Post-structuralism, Representation, and Structuralism.

Please tell me which category you have chosen next week. If you do not find a category that you like, you may suggest another and explain to me why it should be on the links page. If your explanation is persuasive (if its text attains to enough power to make me want to respond), I shall add your category to the links page and you may choose it for your presentation.

May 23: Informal presentation by Mia Serita and Yoko Shinomiya about their recent travels in Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Cambodia, and Vietnam. Beginning of the discussion about Ashcroft and Ahluwalia chapter 3, “Orientalism,” which will continue next week. We shall begin discussion of chapter 4, “Culture as Imperialism,” in the June 6 class meeting.

May 16: Conclusion of discussion of chapter 2 of Ashcroft and Ahluwalia, “Worldliness: The Critic.” Namiko Tabuchi gave an informal presentation about her recent trip to Laos. Homework: read and write a reaction to Ashcroft and Ahluwalia chapter 3, “Orientalism.”

May 9: Explanation of the relation of the title of this course to its content: why what we are doing is a step toward “discovering others”; announcement that after completing Ashcroft and Ahluwalia, we shall move directly to exploration of three theoretical models of the world and our place in it, pre-structuralist, structuralist, and post-structuralist, and to discussion of why such an exploration is important in a twenty-first century education; invitation for informal student presentations on any aspect of the work in the seminar.

Shiho Takaso gave an informal presentation on recent photography exhibitions by Hirokawa Ryûichi and Morizumi Takashi, and admirably connected their work with the work of this seminar.

Homework: suggest links for at least one of the categories on the links page here; follow the format already established, i.e., a brief description of the site, if possible including comment about why it is helpful.

May 7: another note: Said’s “The Public Role of Writers and Intellectuals,” published September 11, 2002 in The Nation, may not be particularly easy going, but is very much about exactly the issues we shall address in discussion of chapter 2 of Ashcroft and Ahluwalia.

May 5: a note in advance of the May 9 class: As noted in the description of the May 2 class below, Ashcroft and Ahluwalia assume a basic understanding of recent developments in critical and cultural theory. In addition to the links noted in the May 2 description, please have a look at new information on the links page, which may prove helpful in contextualizing reading and discussion in the seminar.

May 2: Discussion of an exchange that took place in the May 1 Case Studies I course, which is addressing texts and concepts similar to those of this course. The following question was posed in Case Studies I: If you had to divide all of the world’s people into only two categories, what would they be? The five student answers were: 1) rich and poor, 2) men and women, 3) Easterners and Westerners, 4) Asians and Non-Asians, and 5) Black and Whites.

Students in this introductory seminar were provided time to discuss which of these answers are humane and generous and intelligent and which are not. The unanimous agreement was correct, and several students were particularly articulate in explaining why.

Students expressed difficulties in following the reading for today’s seminar, chapter 2 of Ashcroft and Ahluwalia’s Edward Said, “Worldliness: The Critic.” Part of the problem was determined to be unfamiliarity with particular concepts of which Ashcroft and Ahluwalia assume knowledge. It’s probably necessary to have a basic knowledge of, for example, the so-called “structuralist revolution” and its outgrowth, poststructuralism, to understand well what Ashcroft and Ahluwalia are saying and, in part, what Said is reacting against.

With that in mind, consider D. Bicket’s web site k.i.s.s. of the panopticon. The k.i.s.s. stands for “Keep it Simple, Stupid.” I don’t want to say that Bicket is the last word on contemporary cultural theory, but the site may prove useful for a very basic introduction to concepts such as hegemony, identity, national identity, poststructuralism, representation and the media, structuralism, and, yes, even the concept of Edward Said. Many other sites address the same sorts of issues. I would be grateful for any that students might turn up in Japanese, so that they could go on the links page here.

April 25: Discussion of Ashcroft and Ahluwalia’s introduction, “Why Said,” and chapter 1, “Worldliness: The Text.” Topics addressed: the construction of identity; identity and culture as processes, not essences; the ways dominant cultures “construct the world”; the idea of textuality and of subject positions toward a text; Said’s notion of the “worldliness” of any text.

Homework: 1) returning students and new students are to exchange the summary/reaction papers due today, and to meet before the next class to discuss them and to try to improve them; 2) read Ashcroft and Ahluwalia chapter 2, “Worldliness: The Critic” and prepare a summary or reaction paper; 3) be prepared specifically to explain your own understanding of “speaking truth to power.” What does “truth” mean in this phrase? What about “power”? What kind of power? Why all this talk of power? What does power have to do with the worldliness of texts?

April 18: Introduction to the course; discussion of the relation of this course to last year’s Introductory Seminar I. Homework: chapter 1 of Bill Ashcroft and Pal Ahluwalia, Edward Said, and a 200-word summary or reaction paper (typed, standard manuscript form).

Students who were not in last year’s seminar should also read part I of Edward Said’s introduction to Orientalism and respond to the questions that have been provided. Returning students will meet with new students next week to discuss the central issues of Said’s introduction, and to place them in the context of this course.