Rainbow Radicalisms!: Ethnic Nationalism(s), the 1960s and the Politics of the New Left

3 units

The Black Panther Party remains one of the most iconic groups of the 1960s and 1970s. Perhaps one of the most understudied aspects of the Panther's legacy is their radical influence upon other American racial and ethnic groups, including Asian Americans, Mexican Americans, Puerto Ricans and American Indians, among others. This seminar will consider the emergence of ethnic and racial nationalism among these various groups, as a result of their contact and relationship(s) with the Black Panther Party. Considering the politics of groups like the Red Guard, the Brown Berets, the Young Lords and the American Indian Movement, this course will chart the rise and fall of rainbow radicalism as a general offspring of the Black Power Movement and part and parcel of what is commonly referred to as the New Left. It will also consider these groups in relation to the State by probing the dynamic push and pull between repression and democracy. Ultimately, this course will grant insight into the contemporary racial domain and current political landscape of America as we discuss how these groups helped to shape modern identity formations, discourses on multiculturalism and definitions of minority, diversity, and equality.