Representations of Social Exclusion in Spanish-Language Literature: Latin America and Spain 3305-RWS-SEM-LIC
The seminar is devoted to the analysis of literary representations of social exclusion in Spanish-language literature from Spain and Latin America. The course focuses on the ways in which marginalised, subordinated, or socially, culturally, and symbolically invisibilised groups are represented in literary texts. Particular attention will be paid to how literature constructs otherness, violence, dependency, norms, and mechanisms of social exclusion. The seminar combines a literary-studies perspective with selected tools of contemporary humanities, such as feminist criticism, queer theory, postcolonial studies, and research on migration, race, ethnicity, social class, the body, and institutional violence. Both theoretical texts and literary works will be analysed, serving as a starting point for discussion of the relations between literature, society, and power. An important element of the seminar will also be reflection on the categories of voice, agency, visibility, stereotyping, and the intersectional overlapping of different forms of marginalisation. The aim of the course is to prepare students for independent interpretation of literary texts and for formulating research problems related to the representation of exclusion. The seminar will also support students in developing the concept of their diploma thesis, selecting a corpus, constructing academic argumentation, and using secondary literature in a conscious and methodologically sound way. The course is divided into five thematic blocks:
Introduction: literature, representation, exclusion
literature as a space of social representation;
social exclusion and intersectionality;
basic concepts of narratology and literary text analysis;
analysis of literary discourse;
foundations of academic discourse;
methodology of diploma thesis writing;
corpus selection, formulation of a research problem, hypothesis, and bibliography.
Representations of women, patriarchy, and gender-based violence
foundations of feminist criticism;
women’s studies in literature;
representations of patriarchy and norms of femininity;
the female body as a space of social control;
violence against women: home, family, state, religion, community;
motherhood, care, and reproductive labour;
women’s experience of poverty, dependency, and subordination;
women’s writing and the literary canon;
the problem of female voice and female subjectivity;
relations between feminism, class, race, and migration;
strategies of resistance, emancipation, and the recovery of agency.
The LGBTQ+ community: gay and lesbian criticism, queer theory, and trans studies
foundations of gay and lesbian criticism;
foundations of queer theory;
normativity, heteronormativity, and homophobia;
representations of desire, the body, and sexuality;
coming out, secrecy, shame, and visibility;
family, community, and alternative forms of kinship;
AIDS, illness, mourning, and queer memory;
foundations of trans studies and travesti studies;
violence against LGBTQ+ people and its literary representations;
queer strategies of resistance, parody, and subversion;
LGBTQ+ literature in relation to the national canon.
Migrants, ethnic minorities, race, and postcoloniality
foundations of postcolonial studies;
coloniality and the legacy of empire in Spanish-language literature;
migration, diaspora, and transnationality;
the figure of the migrant, refugee, and foreigner;
racialisation and ethnicisation of literary characters;
representations of Indigenous and Afro-descendant populations in Latin America;
representations of migrants from Latin America, Africa, and Asia in Spanish literature;
language, accent, and multilingualism as mechanisms of exclusion;
borders, documents, labour, and precarity;
stereotyping, exoticisation, and Orientalisation;
colonial memory and symbolic violence;
strategies for reclaiming voice.
Other dimensions of social exclusion: class, body, age, and institutions
This block will be devoted to forms of marginalisation that do not fully fit within the previous thematic areas but are crucial to the analysis of social exclusion in literature. It will include, among others, representations of social class, poverty, labour, precarity, domestic service, homelessness, and economic violence, as well as literary images of disability, illness, non-normative bodies, ageing, and ageism.
Course coordinators
Type of course
Mode
Prerequisites (description)
Learning outcomes
Knowledge
The student has basic knowledge of the methodology of literary, cultural, and comparative studies, with particular emphasis on the analysis of literary representations of social exclusion in Spanish-language literature from Spain and Latin America. The student knows basic concepts related to literary text analysis, narratology, literary discourse analysis, representation, otherness, marginalisation, stereotyping, visibility, agency, and intersectionality. The student is familiar with the basic assumptions of selected currents in contemporary humanities used in literary studies, such as feminist criticism, women’s studies, queer theory, gay and lesbian criticism, trans studies, postcolonial studies, and research on migration, race, ethnicity, social class, the body, and institutional violence. The student has general knowledge of selected literary texts dealing with issues of social exclusion and is able to place them in a broader historical, social, cultural, and literary context. The student knows the principles of academic writing, the construction of a diploma thesis, and the rules concerning the protection of intellectual property.
K_W01, K_W02, K_W03, K_W04, K_W05, K_W09
Skills
The student is prepared to independently construct a diploma thesis devoted to literary representations of social exclusion in Spanish-language literature. The student has basic research skills, including the formulation and analysis of research problems, the selection of a corpus, hypothesis, methods, and interpretative tools, as well as the preparation and presentation of research results in the fields of literary and cultural studies. The student uses academic discourse and is able to select, analyse, and critically evaluate information drawn from secondary literature. The student is able to analyse and interpret a literary work using concepts from literary theory and selected currents in contemporary humanities, referring to the views of other scholars. The student recognises the multidimensional character of a literary work, including its aesthetic, narrative, social, cultural, and ideological dimensions. The student is able to acquire knowledge independently, develop research skills, and improve the diploma thesis project, following the guidance of the seminar instructor.
K_U01, K_U02, K_U03, K_U04, K_U05, K_U08, K_U10
Social competences
The student listens attentively and actively to other participants in discussion, follows their reasoning with understanding, and is able to respond to different positions in a substantive and responsible manner. The student is ready to critically reflect on the social, cultural, and ethical aspects of representing marginalised, excluded, or subordinated groups. The student selects and organises information, systematises acquired knowledge, and evaluates it critically with regard to literary, historical, and social contexts. The student is aware of the importance of literature as a space for debate on exclusion, inequalities, symbolic violence, visibility, and agency. The student is ready to participate actively and consciously in the culture of the studied linguistic area.
K_K01, K_K03
Assessment criteria
Teaching methods
seminar method;
moderated discussion of theoretical and literary texts;
analysis and interpretation of literary texts;
elements of a mini-lecture introducing selected theoretical and methodological issues;
presentations by students concerning selected research problems, the corpus, and the concept of the diploma thesis;
individual consultations concerning the topic, structure, bibliography, and subsequent stages of the diploma thesis;
workshop-based work on fragments of diploma theses.
Assessment criteria
The seminar will be assessed on the basis of regular participation in classes, active involvement in discussions, familiarity with the texts discussed, and the timely preparation of subsequent stages of the diploma thesis. Two unexcused absences per semester are permitted.
The assessment will take into account, in particular: active participation in classes, preparation for discussion, the ability to analyse literary and theoretical texts, progress in developing the concept of the diploma thesis, timely presentation of its subsequent elements, and the quality of the materials prepared. During the seminar, students will present, among other things, a proposed topic, an initial research problem, a corpus of texts, a bibliography, an outline of the thesis, and selected fragments of the diploma thesis.
Disclaimer: due to the subject matter of the seminar, which is devoted to representations of social exclusion, some of the literary and theoretical texts discussed may contain content that is difficult to engage with, including representations of physical, psychological, sexual, institutional, or symbolic violence, as well as vulgar language. Moreover, texts analysed in the blocks devoted to gender studies, feminist criticism, and LGBTQ+ literature may contain erotic content or explicit references to sexuality. Students enrolling in the seminar are asked to take this into account when deciding whether to participate in the course. Due to the subject matter of the seminar, discussions should be conducted with respect for the dignity, experiences, and sensitivities of others. Students are expected to engage in substantive, critical, and academic discussion, free from discriminatory, stigmatising, or otherwise harmful statements that could undermine the safety of participants.
AI use:
We follow the general URK guidelines, which are available at:
https://dokumenty.uw.edu.pl/dziennik/DURK/Lists/Dziennik/Attachments/134/DURK.2023.98.UURK.98.pdf
Bibliography
Theoretical literature:
Ahmed, Sara (2004), The Cultural Politics of Emotion, Edinburgh, Edinburgh University Press.
Ahmed, Sara (2010), The Promise of Happiness, Durham-London, Duke University Press.
Burzyńska, Anna, Markowski Paweł Michał (2009), Teorie literatury XX wieku, Kraków, Znak.
Gallego Cuiñas, Ana (2021), Sujetxs pobres: narrativas trans/travestis argentinas en el siglo XXI, w: Ana Gallego Cuiñas (red.), Novísimas. Las narrativas latinoamericanas y españolas del siglo XXI, Madrid, Iberoamericana; Frankfurt am Main, Vervuert, s. 69–111.
Meccia, Ernesto (2011), Los últimos homosexuales. Sociología de la homosexualidad y la gaycidad, Buenos Aires, Gran Aldea Editores.
Mira, Alberto (2004), De Sodoma a Chueca. Una historia cultural de la homosexualidad en España en el siglo XX, wyd. 2, Barcelona-Madrid, Egales.
Odartey-Wellington, Dorothy (2012), El imaginario de la inmigración en la narrativa española contemporánea, w: Laura Silvestri, Loretta Frattale, Matteo Lefèvre (red.), Rumbos del hispanismo en el umbral del Cincuentenario de la AIH, t. V: Moderna y Contemporánea, Roma, Bagatto Libri, s. 461–468.
Oluo, Ijeoma (2022), Vamos a hablar de racismo. Una guía para entendernos, przeł. Cristina Lizarbe Ruiz, pról. Lucía-Asué Mbomío Rubio, Málaga, Plankton Press.
Preciado, Paul B. (2019), Un apartamento en Urano. Crónicas del cruce, Barcelona, Anagrama.
Rostecka, Barbara, Ascanio-Sánchez, Carmen (2021), Literatura de la inmigración en España: enfoques, discursos y análisis, „Ocnos. Revista de estudios sobre lectura”, 20(3), s. 1–11.
Sedgwick, Eve Kosofsky (2003), Touching Feeling. Affect, Pedagogy, Performativity, Durham-London, Duke University Press.
Smuga, Łukasz (2016), Wbrew naturze i kulturze. O odmienności w hiszpańskiej prozie homoerotycznej na przełomie XX i XXI wieku, Kraków, Universitas
Tyson, Lois (2006), Critical Theory Today. A User-Friendly Guide, wyd. 2, New York, Routledge.
Varikas, Eléni (1995), Paria: una metáfora de la exclusión femenina, „Política y Cultura”, nr 4, s. 81–89.
Wayar, Marlene (2019), Travesti / Una teoría lo suficientemente buena, Buenos Aires, Editorial Muchas Nueces.
Zovko, Maja (2009), La imagen del inmigrante en la novela española actual, „Altre Modernità”, nr 2, s. 163–172.
Selected literary works:
Almada, Selva (2020), No es un río, Buenos Aires, Literatura Random House.
Cabezón Cámara, Gabriela (2017), Las aventuras de la China Iron, Buenos Aires, Literatura Random House.
Cabezón Cámara, Gabriela (2009), La Virgen Cabeza, Buenos Aires, Eterna Cadencia.
Colfer, Nicolás (2024), La reina del Paraguay, Ojo de Loca.
Cortázar, Juan Carlos (2018), El inmenso desvío, Lima, Animal de Invierno.
Esteban Erlés, Patricia (2012), Casa de muñecas, Madrid, Páginas de Espuma.
Harwicz, Ariana (2012), Matate, amor, Buenos Aires, Paradiso.
Navarro, Brenda (2022), Ceniza en la boca, Madrid, Sexto Piso.
Portero, Alana S. (2023), La mala costumbre, Barcelona, Seix Barral.
Reyes, Dolores (2019), Cometierra, Buenos Aires, Sigilo.
Sosa Villada, Camila (2019), Las malas, Buenos Aires, Tusquets.
Soto, Facundo R. (2018), Alegría, Saraza Editorial.
Tsai Tseng, Chenta (2019), Arroz tres delicias. Sexo, raza y género, Barcelona, Plan B / Ediciones B.