Deirdre Lyons

This course draws on the analytic tools of gender and sexuality to examine the construction of power, society, and race in colonial contexts. Drawing on feminist and postcolonial theory, we will look at a broad range of case studies to explore themes in colonial history, such as ?discovery? and conquest, power and resistance, the construction of imperial and gender ideologies, the regulation of intimacy and the creation of race-based hierarchies, the disciplining, regulating, and improvement of colonial bodies, and the multiple intersections and conflicting definitions of gendered or racialized categories and identities. Readings include primary and secondary texts as well as art, images, and film. Evaluation will be based on discussion, writing assignments, and an independent presentation.

This course will introduce students to the ways in which colonialism in the Atlantic World(s) made the modern Americas. Emphasizing the long-term cross-cultural interactions and exchanges between Africa, the Americas, and Europe, we will explore the dynamics of conquest, enslavement, and colonialism and their reciprocal relationships to consumption, resistance/revolt, and freedom. We will use a combination of primary documents, images, relevant news articles, documentaries, music, podcasts, and academic readings to explore the comparative historical experiences of Indigenous peoples, Africans, Creoles, and Europeans from the 1440s-1800s. Evaluation will be based on in-class participation, writing assignments, and short reflection papers.