Race Racisms and Antiracisms in the Modern World

3 credits · Undergraduate

This course introduces students to the interdisciplinary field of International Studies by unearthing various ways in which ideas of “race” have influenced inter-cultural relations in the world during the modern era (c. 1800 to the present). Throughout the term, we will examine: 1) the many, interconnected contexts in which “modern” definitions of “race” were constructed; 2) how perceptions of racial difference engendered cultural prejudices that produced grossly unequal political relationships between communities; and 3) the ensuing formations of local, national, and global networks that sought to transcend imagined differences by forming a common cause that denounced the power of “race,” along with its racialized ways of seeing and structures. Topical coverage will span all corners of the globe, including Britain, the United States, Egypt, the Sudan, France, India, Martinique, Algeria, Germany, Japan, Israel/Palestine, Cuba, South Africa, and Canada. Particular attention, furthermore, will be given to the roles of transnational movements and international organizations.