HST5615 – Race and the Desire for Difference

Race is not a biological fact. It is a social category historically made. In 1963 James Baldwin affirmed: 'I am not a negro. I am a man. But if you think I am a negro, it means you need it. And the question you must ask yourself is, why?' This module explores how race emerged and developed in history as a powerful category for differentiating peoples. It examines how empire has played a role in histories of racism and emphasises the global dimensions of racism. In doing so, we see how ideas about race and experiences of racism are locally situated and vary over time and space. The module ranges over different geographic territory with examples from Britain and Europe, South Asia, Africa, and America. We will examine the connections between race, religion, sex, class, and migration. While the module will look at how the idea of race has been used to separate people, we will also examine how people throughout history have defied and challenged the categories of racial difference in their daily life and in social and cultural movements.