Race in the Nineteenth Century

Catalog description

In the nineteenth century, "race" became a global phenomenon, one connected to both individual and national identities. In fact, race came to mean "everything," as the racial scientist Robert Knox declared confidently in 1850. This is certainly one of the chief ironies of the century, however. The concept of race - while employed by many - was used with remarkable inconsistency in the 1800s. In this interdisciplinary course, we will study works of nineteenth-century fiction, along with primary documents from the era, such as anthropological writings, international travel journals, legal texts, and more. This course will incorporate texts from Britain, its overseas empire, and beyond. In so doing, we will examine the broad social, legal, and cultural impact of racial thought in the nineteenth century. Throughout, we will aim to understand the major cultural shift that saw the rise of racial discourse in the latter half of the 1800s. For instance, we will examine the huge impact of racial ideology on ideas of science, nationalism, and gender during this period. We will also investigate the degree to which race influenced ideas of individual development since, as the century progressed, racial ideology came to impact the representation of human consciousness, itself. This course will be of particular interest to students studying history, sociology, race and ethnicity, heath humanities, and biological science.