Race and the Enlightenment: A Historical and Philosophical Enquiry
AFAM 325
Spring 2019 not offered
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| Crosslisting:
SISP 324, CHUM 324, FIST 325 |
It was during the Enlightenment Era (c. 1760-1800) that scientific reasoning, a belief in progress, and new claims on personal and political liberty swept away a tenacious medieval worldview. It was also during this era, however, that the notion of race crystalized in European and North American thought. Today, we still live with implications of this major shift, be it in classification schemes, anatomical prejudices, or ethnographical myths. This is particularly true for Africans or people of African descent. This class will bring some the Enlightenment's most prominent thinkers into dialogue with the emergency of the concept of race theory. In particular, we will focus on the clash between the Enlightenment era's belief that "all men were created as equals" and the various ways that the Black African came to be studied within "natural history" and various philosophical models. This historical backdrop will lead us not only to a discussion of the economic imperatives of human slavery but to a series of contemporary reflections on the status of the Enlightenment put forward by postcolonial critics. Note: This class is offered in the context of the Wesleyan's Center for the Humanities' "Grand Narratives/Modest Proposals" theme and speakers series. |
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| Credit: 1 |
Gen Ed Area Dept:
SBS AFAM |
| Course Format: Seminar | Grading Mode: Graded |
| Level: UGRD |
Prerequisites: None |
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Fulfills a Requirement for: None |
Major Readings:
Actual works TBD:
LOCKE, An Essay concerning human understanding
VOLTAIRE, The Philosophy of History
--, Philosophical Dictionary
ENCYCLOPEDIE, selections
DIDEROT, Selections from the History of the Two Indies
LINNAEUS, System of Nature
KANT, On the Different Races of Men
MONTESQUIEU, Spirit of the Laws
JEFFERSON, Notes on the State of Virginia
EDWARD LONG, History of Jamaica
BENEZET, Some Historical Account of Guinea
CAREY, et al., The Postcolonial Enlightenment, selections
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Examinations and Assignments:
Short Papers
1 Term paper
Oral Presentations |
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