Black Atlantic. Part 1

This is a module (which runs over two quarters now) that helps you gain a deep understanding of race relations in the West. We focus on the history of the Transatlantic Slave Trade and the legacies of how that period systematically introduced skin-based racism. These legacies are ubiquitous and complex. They are the complex consequence of centuries of greed, lies, miscommunication, and double standards and they have created deep inequality, injustice, and division that have ramifications beyond national borders.

The Black Atlantic perspective will give you the skills and knowledge to move beyond current divisions and to realise the fluid, positive, complex construction of racial identity. In this course, we look at the difficult history of the Transatlantic Slave Trade and the way in which revered philosophers and statesmen of the Enlightenment (the period of rationality and logic) introduced a false science of race, cemented perceived supremacy of ‘Caucasian’ people and developed a hierarchy of racial difference that has its clear legacy in civil rights movements and activism such as Black Lives Matter.

We also rebalance the stories that have been told - focusing on the power and resilience of individuals and events such as the Haitian Revolution and the Underground Railroad. These hidden historical truths, alongside the dynamic and diverse cultural production of black and ethnic minorities everywhere, can challenge many entrenched views about race and reveal the central contribution of the African diaspora and other ethnic minorities to every area of ‘western culture’. By learning how popular music, fashion, the arts, sport, and food show how race and culture are intertwined we can unpick damaging, racist positions and challenge accepted ideas. Unequal ideas of skin-based difference were educated into the world but they should not be educated out by us in this class.