Freedom and Domination

3 Credits · Level: Undergraduate

Freedom has long been a central ideal in political thought and liberatory social movements. But what does it mean to be free? What are the sources of domination? How do we become more or less free? This course will examine competing theories of freedom and domination, drawing on diverse political traditions from liberalism and republicanism to Marxist, feminist, and anti-colonial thought. Through close reading of historical and contemporary texts, we will explore questions such as: is freedom just a matter of being able to do what you want? If so, how can we tell if our desires are truly our own, or merely a product of social conditioning? How can social institutions and relationships enable or impede our freedom? Is freedom compatible with capitalism? How might ideals of freedom be used to justify or disguise insidious forms of oppression?