“Every empire, however, tells itself and the world that it is unlike all other empires, that its mission is not to plunder and control but to educate and liberate” – Edward Said, 2003

In this seminar, we are going to address Postcolonial Theory from the perspective of international relations. As a diverse and rich tradition of scholarship and activism, Postcolonial Theory has in fact impacted and influenced a variety of different fields of inquiry, including comparative literature, anthropology, sociology, history, philosophy and cultural studies. Within the discipline of International Relations, issues of post- and neo-colonialism struggled to surface at first, while becoming gradually an essential contribution to a more critical and reasoned understanding of our world.

We will introduce the main concepts and tenets of Postcolonial Theory and then move on quickly to examine its deployment in the domain of international relations. We will first discuss what is Postcolonialism and the condition of Postcoloniality emerging from it; whether a theory embracing such a multifaceted, complex and politically-laden experience can actually be provided; the economic dynamics of colonialism, during and after the dismantling of colonial empires; and last, we shall try to charter new territories to think more creatively about the change, resistance and alternatives to the (post)colonial order in which we live.

In doing this, we will address and examine the writings of Edward Said, Stuart Hall, Geeta Chowdhry, Gayatri Spivak and Frantz Fanon, amongst others.

The seminar is discussion based and requires – demands! – the active and engaged participation of all. Lecturing will be limited to leave space for sharing opinions, views, critiques and debates.

Course professor: Dr. Massimo Ramaioli

Massimo Ramaioli comes from Milan, Italy. He received a PhD in Political Science from Syracuse University, where he majored in Comparative Politics and International Relations. His main research interests are political Islam, Gramscian theory, and International Relations theory.

Previously, he studied at the University of Pavia, Italy, earning a BA in Social Sciences for Cooperation and Development and an MA in African and Asian Studies. He then enrolled at the School of Oriental and African Studies, London, to gain an MA in Middle Eastern Studies. He has also studied Arabic in Tunis, Damascus, Beirut and Fes.

He is currently based in Amman to carry out research and teach at the Center for International Exchange and Education. He is also a regular contributor for Quadrante Futuro for the Einaudi Research Center, Turin, where he writes about Middle East political economy.

Dates: May 20 – June 17
Time: Saturdays, 11:00 AM – 2:00 PM
Location: Sijal Institute (15 Umar Ibn al-Khuttab St, directly in front of Books@Cafe, Jabal Amman)
Cost: 200 JOD (Includes all course materials), students enrolled in other Sijal coursework will receive a 10% discount.

To register please fill out the following registration form: https://goo.gl/forms/KWLkiBfJSulEKhBu1

For any questions or inquiries, please contact us over email at info@sijal.org