Race/Relig in Early Mod Drama

3 Credits · Level: Graduate, Undergraduate

As is the case today, a wide range of cultural representation circulating in pre-modern England engaged with ideas of race and racism. A study of the longer history of racism demonstrates continuities with and divergences from our current reckoning with this problem. Understanding the legacy of racial representations helps clarify its contemporary forms. This course will consider pre- and early modern formulations of racism, noting the importance of religious identity and belief as well as physical features. We will analyze a range of non-literary medieval and early modern texts as well as images to encounter pre-modern racial thinking. We will also read a number of plays representing racialized difference in conversation with these other cultural forms to explore the development and articulation of racial fictions.