Colonialism and Violence

Catalog description

This course examines the conquest of territory and peoples, as well as the resistance to, and accommodation of conquerors. It does so in two ways. First, it examines the idea of conquest to highlight varieties of imperial and colonial rule, such as direct and indirect rule, and various types of colonialism. Second, the course examines debates about the legitimacy of conquest and resistance among and between the conquerors and the conquered. Is violent resistance to conquest and occupation legitimate? If so, what are its limits? Likewise, what rights of self-defense do conquerors have?