ONLINE: This course examines the complex cultural practices that underpin "race" as a theory of history in the British colonies and, later, the United States. Grounded in Enlightenment-era colonial law and philosophy, theories of race construct a narrative of "Western" cultural progress, which links race superiority to geography and biology. This course explores how the shorthand use of "race" codifies a mixture of cultural, legal, social and economic practices rather than strict biology. The four sessions will analyze the political, religious and theoretical frameworks of this ideology, showing them grounded in folk-Christian messianic religion, and in occult and apocalyptic motifs of empire. How have these forces shaped the U.S. as a colonial slaver republic? By studying how "white" frames Christian nationalism, we can better understand the deeper historical roots of the 2020 U.S. Capitol coup. | Lecture + Q&A.
Max enrollment: 40.
