The use of the word culture, and its often-unstated assumptions, has given rise to considerable theoretical controversy. What exactly do we mean when we talk of culture? Is it associated with language, ethnicity, religion, nationality, a civilization, a way of life or everyday social practices? Is it conceived as relatively unchanging, as something that is threatened by the impact with other ‘cultures’ or as a set of ideas and practices that is subject to historical and social change? How are these notions of culture affected by the changing forms of political, economic and military domination and the vicissitudes of the postcolonial world? Questions of representation and interpretation of cultures have greatly impacted on these theoretical debates, both in the field of the social sciences and in the study of literature, film and the arts. The seminar will bring together scholars from different disciplines to address these questions. It will explore the various notions of culture underlying contemporary debates, the artistic forms with which writers and other artists have reflected on these notions and their social and political implications.