Colonialism, Racism, and Human Dignity: On the Global Novel in an Age of Refugee

Drawing on his current book project, Tales of Unsettlement, in this paper Mani situates the figure of the refugee and the forced migrant at the center of contemporary novels. Mani proposes that “refugee” narratives reveal much more than just the plight and flight of refugees, which has largely been the focus of contemporary studies. Instead, Mani argues that novels of refuge open doors to reframe our thinking of histories of European colonialism and its morphed manifestations in contemporary Europe. Moving narratives of refuge from a marginal to a central space, Mani underlines, opens up possibilities of thinking of the European novel as novel as a site of new political and aesthetic examination of race-, religion-, caste- and class-based discriminations in the contemporary era. 

The lecture will be moderated by Paul Nolte, Freie Universität Berlin.

DATE & TIME: November 18, 2025, 16:00-18:00 h followed by a reception 18:00-19:00 h

LOCATION: FU Berlin, Ehrenbergstr. 26/28, 14195 Berlin, Room 009

REGISTRATION: Please register by for in-person by Novr 10 via email bprogram@zedat.fu-berlin.de

LANGUAGE: The lecture will be in English; the discussion in English & German

CONSENT:  By attending, you consent the possibility of appearing in our publicity materials.