Advanced Historical Literature: America (Race after Slavery)

Enrollment Comments: May be repeated for credit. Open to both M.A. and Ph.D. candidates.

 

 

In light of the intensified calls for racial justice after the murders of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, and too many others, this course seeks to root anti-black violence, political disfranchisement, and white supremacy in the context of postbellum American history. It will explore the evolution of racial ideologies and discourses in the United States after the Civil War, investigate how they were applied to black Americans and other racial groups, consider their lasting legacies, and contextualize our present moment in this longer narrative.

We will design our syllabus together. Students who wish to enroll in or audit this course should email me for access to the list of possible readings. I will set the final syllabus based on your suggestions. Topics may include (but are not limited to) the emergence of Lost Cause rhetoric, racially motivated violence, convict leasing and the creation of the racialized penal state, anti-immigrant policies against Asian, South Asian, Mexican & Latin American peoples, the treatment of Native Americans, modern abolitionist movements, and examinations of the lives of those affected by racist policies and beliefs. These issues are politically charged, difficult to confront under the best of circumstances, and can be personally traumatic for students to encounter. Thus, we will proceed with sensitivity to one another as well as with scholarly rigor.