Shéhérazades : Depicting the "Orientale" in Modern French Culture

Catalog description

Centered around the storied figure of Shéhérazade, this course explores literary and visual representations of “oriental” women in France from the 18th century to the contemporary period. Structured in a chronological and thematic manner, the course confronts students with highly influential orientalist depictions of women (including Voltaire, Loti, and Delacroix), as well as postcolonial and feminist responses to orientalism. Primary sources will be supplemented with theoretical readings from Edward Said, Fatima Mernissi and Joan Scott among others, in order to question the evolution and relevance of “orientalism” in France today and articulate the enduringly complex relation between imperialism and gender.