MA Postcolonial Studies
London, United Kingdom
DURATION
1 Years
LANGUAGES
English
PACE
Full time
APPLICATION DEADLINE
Request application deadline
EARLIEST START DATE
Sep 2025
TUITION FEES
GBP 25,320 / per year *
STUDY FORMAT
On-Campus
* for overseas student fees | home student fees: GBP 12,220 per year
Introduction
The MA Postcolonial Studies programme offers a focus on the historical relationships of power, domination and practices of imperialism and colonialism in the modern period (late nineteenth century to the present) through the study of literature and culture.
The core module will introduce a variety of theoretical and methodological approaches to the literature, film and media of these areas. A range of literary, film and theoretical texts from Africa, Asia, the Caribbean and the Near and Middle East will normally be included in the reading list.
These will address representations of colonialism and decolonisation, neo-colonialism, nationalism in postcolonial societies and diasporic experiences, allowing us to explore the heterogeneous meanings, intersections and strategies of analysis that have emerged concerning postcolonial studies.
Attention will be paid to colonial and postcolonial constructs such as the Oriental, the Global, the Cosmopolitan, the Third World and the multicultural. The core module of the MA programme introduces and analyses interdisciplinary theories and ideological practices around a set of historical and current issues from various regions of Asia and Africa. The range of minors offers students more opportunities to explore interdisciplinarity and regional specificities.
Why study MA Postcolonial Studies at SOAS?
- Postcolonial MA programmes offered in London and other UK institutions are located within the field of English Studies or the Social Sciences. The Centre for Cultural, Literary and Postcolonial Studies (CCLPS ) is uniquely positioned to offer an inter-disciplinary Postcolonial Studies MA programme which allows students to understand and negotiate the field of postcolonial studies with recourse to interdisciplinarity and theoretical explications from the regions of Asia, Africa and the Middle East.
- SOAS offers a unique range of regional expertise available amongst the CCLPS’s faculty members.
- The MA Postcolonial Studies programme also offers a timely intervention at a time when there is a national and international crisis in the understanding of multiculturalism, race relations and religious and national affiliations
- You will be eligible to apply for internships, available to students starting 2023/24.
Gallery
Admissions
Curriculum
Students take 180 credits, 60 credits are from a dissertation and 120 credits from taught modules. You may take a 30-credit language acquisition module at the appropriate level as one of your modules.
Core
- Dissertation in Cultural, Literary, and Postcolonial Studies
Compulsory
- Postcolonial Critical Thought
- Decolonial Practices
Guided Options
Students must take a minimum of 60 credits from List A and up to a maximum of 90 credits
- Core Themes and Debates in African Philosophy
- Intersecting Worlds: Race and Gender in the Contemporary Postcolonial Novel
- Contemporary African Literature (PG)
- Language, Identity and Society in Africa (PG)
- 750A Ethnographic Locations: Sub-Saharan Africa
- 725 African and Asian Diasporas: Culture, Politics, Identities
- 724 Migration, Borders and Space: Decolonial Approaches
- Art and Politics in Africa
- Global Film Industries
- New Taiwan Cinema and Beyond (PG)
- Culture and Society of Taiwan (PG)
- World Literature (PG)
- Cultural Studies: Origins, Ideas and New Approaches
- Comparative Literature: Methodology and Critique
- Comparative Literature: A New Era
- Cultural Studies: New Practices and Widening Horizons
- Gender and Development
- Borders and Development
- Aid and Development
- Migration and Policy
- Labour, Activism and Global Development
- Feminist Political Economy and Global Development
- Political Economy of Development and Change in the Middle East
- Economic Development in the Asia Pacific Region
- Economic Development of Africa (PG)
- Gender Theory and the Study of Asia, Africa and the Middle East
- Queering Migrations and Diasporas
- Queer Politics in Asia, Africa and the Middle East
- Race, Segregation, and Apartheid in Twentieth-century South Africa (PG)
- Trajectories of Modernity in Korean Literature and Film (PG)
- Translating Cultures 2
- New Visions of Japan in Modern Literature and Popular Culture (PG)
- The Making of Modern Korea
- Law and Development in Africa
- Colonialism, Empire and International Law
- Law and Society in Southeast Asia
- Mediated Culture in the Middle East: Politics and Communications
- Transnational Communities and Diasporic Media: Networking, Connectivity, Identity
- Topics in Global Media and Digital Communication
- Prejudice, Conspiracy and Misinformation: Understanding the Debate around '(Post)-Truth'
- Music, Exile and Diaspora: the Jews of Arab Lands
- Music in Global Perspective
- Modern Palestinian Literature (PG)
- Palestine, History, Culture, Politics
- From Palestine to Israel
- Violence, Justice and the Politics of Memory
- Political Theory, Race and Empire
- Politics of Culture in Contemporary South Asia - A
- Literature of Resistance in South Asia (PG)
- War, Revolution and Independence in Southeast Asia Literatures in Translation (Masters)
- Genders and Sexualities in Southeast Asian Film
- Religion in Global Politics: Theories and Themes
- Muslim Britain: Perspectives and Realities
Program Outcome
Knowledge
- To develop a detailed knowledge and understanding of the histories, politics, and theoretical concepts deployed by the terms Postcolonial, postcolonialism, and postcoloniality
- How to think critically about the contexts of exploration and colonialism iaboutpostcolonial societies
- Understanding different approaches to culture, nationalism, multiculturalism, migration, gender, and race in the context of post-colonial societies.
Intellectual (Thinking) Skills
- Critically analyze a variety of theoretical material
- Demonstrate an ability to understand academic conventions and to write analytically and reflectively
- Construct and present arguments, both orally and in writing
- Demonstrate an ability to think critically about postcolonial issues in a number of disciplines
- Engender original approaches and strategies.
Subject-Based Practical Skills
- Write effectively and analytically
- Retrieve, sift, and analyze information from a variety of sources
- Present to audiences: listen, engage, and interact
- Practice research techniques in a variety of specialized research libraries and institutes.
Transferrable Skills
- Structure and communicate ideas effectively both orally and in writing
- Critically evaluate arguments
- Formally present their research findings to a public audience
- Integrate as team members in a group
- Utilize a variety of multimedia academic resources
- Work within a set deadline period.
Program Tuition Fee
Career Opportunities
| Title | Deadline date |
| Tibawi Trust Award | |
| Felix Non-Indian Scholarship | |
| Felix Scholarships | |
| Sasakawa Studentships | |
| SOAS Master's Scholarships |
E m p l o y m e n t
Graduates of the School of Languages, Cultures and Linguistics leave SOAS not only with linguistic and cultural expertise, but also with skills in written and oral communication, analysis and problem solving.
Recent graduates have been hired by:
- Africa Matters
- Amnesty International
- Arab British Chamber of Commerce
- BBC World Service
- British High Commission
- Council for British Research in the Levant
- Department for International Development
- Edelman
- Embassy of Jordan
- Ernst & Young
- Foreign & Commonwealth Office
- Institute of Arab and Islamic Studies
- Middle East Eye
- Saïd Foundation
- TalkAbout Speech Therapy
- The Black Curriculum
- The Telegraph
- United Nations Development Programme
- UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency
- Wall Street Journal
Program Leaders
Program delivery
One-year Masters programmes consist of 180 credits. 120 credits are taught in modules of 30 credits (taught over 20 weeks) or 15 credits (taught over 10 weeks); the dissertation makes up the remaining 60 units. The programme structure shows which modules are compulsory and which are optional.
As a rough guide, 1 credit equals approximately 10 hours of work. Most of this will be independent study, including reading and research, preparing coursework and revising for examinations. It will also include class time, which may include lectures, seminars and other classes. Some subjects, such as learning a language, have more class time than others. At SOAS, most postgraduate modules have a one-hour lecture and a one-hour seminar every week, but this does vary.