Black (In) Translation

There is a word for 'black' in nearly every language, but translating Blackness as identity, lived experience, and claim to political solidarity, is an incredibly complicated task. This course examines how the ideas about race that have shaped the modern world, were developed and have evolved from at least the 18th century to the present. We will attend to the ways that Blackness travels or does not, through literary and cultural production and translation practices in the Atlantic world. Taking an interdisciplinary approach, the course will focus on the ways that Blackness has been defined, wielded, and disavowed at key moments in history.