Reading the 'Right To Have Rights': Borders, Mobilities, and Memories

Taking Hannah Arendt's notion of the "right to have rights" as a starting point, this course centers on the connections between the Humanities and Human Rights. We will discuss a variety of literary texts in relation to theoretical works from such fields as Border Studies, Critical Refugee Studies, Mobility Studies, and Memory Studies. This will allow us to examine different histories of displacement, spanning from the early twentieth century to the present. In addition to contextualizing the historical and legal significance of such terms as "refugee," "asylum," "sanctuary," "non-refoulement," or "forced displacement," our discussions will also allow us to engage with the broader meanings of concepts that include hospitality, identity, belonging, and citizenship. Most of the literary texts on the syllabus stem from the Hispanophone world; all are available in translation. Students will have the opportunity to add material to the syllabus and may base their final projects on their main areas of study, providing they are relevant to the theme and materials of the course.
Course Attributes:

Reading the 'Right To Have Rights': Borders, Mobilities, and Memories

COMPARATIVE LITERATURE 551A

Section 01