HIST 3590 - [The Black Radical Tradition in the U.S.]

(crosslisted) AMST 3590, ASRC 3590
(HA-AS)

Spring. Next Offered: 2020-2021. 4 credits. Letter grades only.

R. Rickford.

This course provides a critical historical interrogation of what Black Marxism author Cedric Robinson called “the Black Radical Tradition.” It will introduce students to some of the major currents in the history of black radical thought, action, and organizing, with an emphasis on the United States after World War I. It relies on social, political, and intellectual history to examine the efforts of black people who have sought not merely social reform, but a fundamental restructuring of political, economic, and social relations. We will define and evaluate radicalism in the shifting contexts of liberation struggles. We will explore dissenting visions of social organization and alternative definitions of citizenship, progress, and freedom. We will confront the meaning of the intersection of race, gender, class, and sexuality in social movements.