Postcolonial theory has transformed literary studies in the past three decades. By foregrounding how colonialism has radically altered the globe, this critical lens has provided flexible methodologies for engaging the literary production of empire, colonial and anti-colonial discourse, and the literature of current and former colonies in Africa, Asia, the Caribbean, the Americas, and Pacific Islands. By turning to topics such as decolonization, migration, language, knowledge production, and representation, postcolonial studies approaches the study of literature in ways that intersect with other fields such as critical race theory and diaspora, feminist, indigenous, transnational, and transoceanic studies.
Currently, UCLA has over twenty full-time faculty working in the field of postcolonial theory and literary studies in the Departments of Asian American Studies, Comparative Literature, English, French and Francophone Studies, and Spanish and Portuguese. This is one of the largest concentrations of postcolonial scholars at any university in the United States and perhaps beyond. This website provides research profiles of each faculty member, a link to the quarterly schedule for our Postcolonial Theory & Literary Studies, and information on how to join our Postcolonial Studies Email list. We are currently developing a Postcolonial Certificate for UCLA graduate students and will post more information on that in the future.
For information about our undergraduate offerings and resources in Imperial, Transnational, and Postcolonial studies, visit the UCLA Department of English Website
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