Racism and Colonialism: Entangled histories and resistances.

Course goals

The course provides an intensive introduction to the historical development of thinking about ethnicity, race and racism in the Western world.
Students gain insight into the cultural processes by which constructions of race and ethnicity are established and learn to critically engage with scholarly concepts such as racism, ‘racial boundaries’, multiculturalism, discrimination, ‘othering’, and ‘whiteness’.
In addition, participants are taught the techniques of historical craft: searching and selecting literature, reviewing texts, critically analysing sources, and working with historical concepts such as ethnicity, racism and discrimination.

Content

Although racism is primarily associated with the colonial slave experience and genocide in World War II, it has a much longer history that continues to resonate in our contemporary world. In this course, we will study the history of racism in the Atlantic world (primarily Europe and regions formerly colonised by Europe, including America) from the Enlightenment to the present. We will focus primarily on how 'race' has been consrtucted and has evolved as a category of differentiation, oppression, and exclusion. You will examine the complex interactions between these cultural constructs and the historical dimensions of nationalism, colonialism, imperialism, and globalization in Western history. The development of racism in Europe will be examined from an international and comparative perspective, partly through the study of colonial and transatlantic experiences of slavery and migration, but also through research into the global spread of ideals of equality, human rights, and civil rights, decolonisation, and anti-colonialism. Furthermore, we will examine how scientific and pseudoscientific constructs of 'race' resulted in social Darwinism, and eugenics. We examine a series of case studies and historical processes from nineteenth century onward that legitimized racism, stereotyping, colonisation, and enslavement. Finally, this course explores how knowledge of this controversial past can provide a framework for understanding current discussions about 'race,' diversity, migration, citizenship and inclusion/exclusion.

Let op: De colleges van deze cursus zijn in het Engels. Als er maar één werkgroep is, zullen de discussies ook volledig in het Engels zijn. 
Deze cursus vervangt de cursussen GE2V16006 Ges-Racism in the Western World (BA niveau 2) en GE3V23003 Ges-Racism in the Western World (niveau 3). Je kunt niet beide cursussen volgen in je programma. 

Please note: The lectures of this course are in English. If there is only one seminar group, discussions will also be entirely in English. 
This course replaces the course GE2V16006 Ges-Racism in the Western World (BA level 2). You cannot take both courses in your programme. 

Additional information

This course is part of the minor Postcolonial Studies.
The assigned timeslot is not definitive and might change, up until the third Wednesday of September.