HIST 5710A: Race and Empire
Fall 2022
Instructor: Professor Chinnaiah Jangam
Course Description
This course explores the intersection of colonialism and imperialism with notions of race between 15th to 20th centuries. It is organized thematically and will introduce students to relevant theoretical concepts and historiographical debates. Central to this course is an effort to uncover the ways in which Eurocentric thinking has been embedded in historical production that
normalized European hegemony over the non-European world.
Class Format: Each week students will be expected to attend a three-hour seminar in which there will be discussion about the course readings. Expectations for the course will be as follow:
Discussion Questions: Each week, students are required to come to class with at least three (3) discussion questions that are grounded in the assigned readings. The questions should reflect some analytical considerations and will be used to guide the seminar discussion. The questions are to be submitted to the professor by midnight of the day before class (e.g., midnight on Sunday, if class is on Monday).
- Student Participation: During the seminar, students must demonstrate that they have read and meditated on the assigned readings. You will be assessed on the quality of your comments not the quantity.
- Weekly Presentation & Class Facilitator: Each week, the professor will assign one student to give a ten (10) minute presentation on the readings. The same student will also be responsible for facilitating the class discussion that week.
Assessment: Students will be assessed on their written work and participation in class seminars. There will be two written assignments, each carries 40% of weightage and 20% for class participation.
Select Readings:
- Ania Loomba, Colonialism-Postcolonialism (1998).
- George Fredrickson, Racism: A Short History, Princeton University Press, 2002.
- Ibram Kendi, Stamped from the Beginning: The Definitive History of Racist Ideas in America, Nation Books, 2016.
- B.R.Ambedkar, Annihilation of Caste, 1936.