Decolonizing Dominican Identity

Catalog description

This course approaches decolonialization through the lens of Dominican Identity from the perspectives of anthropology, sociology, cultural, historical, philosophical, and literary studies. The course explores how (de)colonial identities, whether of individuals or groups, are produced, maintained, and transformed. Students will be introduced to various theoretical perspectives and empirically grounded data that deal with identity formation, nationalism, postcoloniality, and decolonization. We will explore the utility of these perspectives for understanding identity components such as gender, sexual orientation, race, ethnicity, religion, language, social class, and bodily difference. By semester's end, students will understand better how an individual can be at once cause and consequence of history and society, a unique agent of social action as well as a social product.