Black Lives in Pre-1900 Britain

Catalog description

This course engages with Black voices writing from, to, about, and against Pre-Modern Britain, from abolitionists to actors to royalty. We explore topics including racial philosophy, the transatlantic slave trade, revolution, abolition, imperialism, and popular culture, from both contemporary and modern sources. Our texts and conversations trace how the lives and experiences of individuals like Ignatius Sancho, Sarah Baartman, Ira Aldridge, and Alemayehu Tewodros presage those of a modern global Black diaspora. In this course, we will Identify how race and anti-blackness are crafted, and historically (and contemporaneously) affect both individuals and society, using theories like critical fabulation and evidence, including primary and secondary sources, to approach the historical experiences of a global Black diaspora, ethically and through multiple lenses. Students will compare and contrast methods of inquiry from multiple disciplines, including history, literary studies, performance studies, art history, and political science. We explore not only Black history and stories, but also how they might be told and the lessons about history and race that we might take away from our critical engagement with both. Prerequisites: 76-101 or 76-102 or ( 76-106 and 76-107 ) or ( 76-106 and 76-108 ) or ( 76-107 and 76-108 )