Theorizing Blackness and Diaspora (403-0-1)

Instructors

Sylvester Johnson
847/467-5410
5-128 Crowe, 1860 Campus Dr
Office Hours: Tuesday 1:00 pm to 2:00 pm and by appontment

Meeting Info

Crowe 5-138 Af Am Studies Sem: Tues 2:00PM - 4:50PM

Overview of class

This graduate seminar examines Blackness and diaspora through a global purview over the span of five centuries. The course develops a rigorous approach to analyzing and understanding concepts of diaspora and racial Blackness grounded in theoretical approaches and historical methods. Students examine a range of expert theoretical frameworks for interpreting race and diaspora as developed in multiple disciplines. Beginning with the emergence of Afro-Atlantic commercialism in the 1400s and ending with racialization practices of the twenty-first century, the seminar spans multiple historical periods to examine the socio-political, economic, and cultural dimensions of Black diasporic experiences. Through critical readings, discussions, and research projects, students will engage with key texts and debates that shape the field, fostering a comprehensive understanding of the historical and contemporary dynamics of race and diaspora.

Learning Objectives

Students in this graduate seminar will:
• Understand and analyze major theories of race and diaspora
• Learn to assess strengths and limitations of multiple frameworks for conceptualizing race and diaspora
• Identify essential criteria for defining race and diaspora
• Distinguish between competing theories of race and diaspora
• Develop compelling, evidence-based, and intellectually defensible definitions of race, diaspora, and related terms
• Articulate and explain temporalities of race and diaspora
• Enhance skills in presenting research findings and theoretical arguments clearly and persuasively, both in written and oral formats
• Connect historical and theoretical knowledge to current events and debates surrounding race, migration, and identity
• Design and execute a research project that contributes original insights to the field of race and diaspora studies

Class Materials (Required)

Clarke, Kamari. Mapping Yorùbá Networks: Power and Agency in the Making of Transnational Communities. ISBN: 978-0822333425

Matory, J. Lorand. Black Atlantic Religion: Tradition, Transnationalism, and Matriarchy in the Afro-Brazilian Candomblé. ISBN: 978-1400833979

Gilroy, Paul. Black Atlantic: Modernity and Double-Consciousness. ISBN: 978-0674076068

Wright, Michelle. Becoming Black: Creating Identity in the African Diaspora. ISBN: 978-0822332886