Racial Capitalism and U.S. Liberal Empire

This seminar will reflect on terms that seem to trip us up: empire, capitalism, modernity. Many Americans reject the notion that the United States is an empire due to a sense of patriotism and/or an inability to distinguish colonialism from imperialism, let alone recognize settler colonialism. In this course, however, we will examine how U.S. empire and racial capitalism are inseparable and consider how liberal blinders have operated in American popular and academic discourse—and that perhaps “provincializing the United States” might offer some clarity.