- Race and Ethnicity in Ancient Greece and Beyond

Catalog description

How did the ancient Greeks construct their "racial" and ethnic identity and why should "Ancient Greekness" matter to us living in America today? Students will study the dynamics of race and ethnicity in antiquity by comparing constructions of Greekness and Romanness with constructions of ethnic identities in ancient non-Western cultures, including the ancient Persian Empire (Iran and Iraq) as well as cultures of ancient Africa, specifically the Egyptians, Ethiopians, Nubians, and Libyans. Students consider ancient Greek evidence as well as historical and archaeological data shedding light on non-Western perspectives. Students will learn contemporary race theory and the difficulties and benefits of applying it to the study of ancient societies. Students will also examine the role of ancestry, language, religion, mythology, and literature (including historiography) in the discursive formation of racial and ethnic identities among the ancient Greeks and nearby non-Western cultures. Although centered in Ancient Greece, students will move beyond its geographical boundaries through examination of the Mediterranean culturally and its link to twentieth-century conceptualizations of race and ethnicity.