All of us we come to realize, have been affected by this historical process. This module will establish a forum to discuss these crucial issues. Within postcolonialism, one of the most complex locations is that occupied by women. This module attempts to examine the truth-value of statements such as the above. It will also attempt to explore the place of women in erstwhile colonies including Singapore through a study of its literatures, specifically literary texts by women.
Feminists point out an interesting parallel between women and 'the colonised'.
Both are positioned as 'the other' - women to the male order, 'the colonised' to the imperial order. As such, both women and 'the colonised' are seen as sharing an experience of oppression and subjugation that has constructed their very beings. Feminism however also has a problematic relationship with postcolonialism. For instance, postcolonial nationalists protesting against the atrocities of imperialism see feminist efforts at liberating the females from their respective patriarchal set-ups as a kind of betrayal of nationalist and patriotic agendas. This certainly raises interesting questions for those of us living in countries such as Singapore.