Lehrende/r: Dr. Pia Wiegmink
Veranstaltungsart: online: Seminar
Anzeige im Stundenplan: 05.866.522
Unterrichtssprache: Englisch
Min. | Max. Teilnehmerzahl: - | 30
Anmeldegruppe: AS 522
Prioritätsschema: Senatsrichtlinie Zulassung gemäß Richtlinie über den Zugang zu teilnahmebeschränkten Lehrveranstaltungen vom 07. März 2007. Nähere Informationen hierzu entnehmen Sie bitte www.info.jogustine.uni-mainz.de/senatsrichtlinie
Voraussetzungen / Organisatorisches: In this seminar, we will draw on current approaches from the field of Memory Studies, Slavery Studies, African American Studies, and transnational American Studies in order to examine how the legacy of slavery has been and continues to be a powerful cultural and political catalyst in the US. Neo slave narratives, like Colson Whitehead’s The Underground Railroad (2016), hit bestseller lists; despite the recent removal of a number of monuments, the myth of the Lost Cause and its monumental representation in form of Confederate monuments is still very much visible in the American South; the publication of the New York Times’ 1619-project sparked a heated discussion among historians about the relevance of slavery for American self-fashioning; and the Black Lives Matter movement draws attention to ways in which the legacies of slavery impact Black Americans in form of systemic racism every single day. From recent novels, films, series, video games and art installations to public debates about reparations, memorials, statues, and museums, remembering slavery is still part and parcel of American culture (and politics). This seminar will thus examine the multifaceted contemporary discourses and practices of remembering (and forgetting) slavery in the United States. We will, for example, inquire why, up until recently, the profiteers of slavery continued to be publicly remembered while as of 2021, the United States still does not have a National Memorial to Slavery or a National Museum of Slavery. In addition, we will look at the politics and practices of remembering slavery (and colonialism) in other parts of the world to discuss issues like memorialization, public history, restitution, decolonization and antiracism from a transcultural perspective.
Empfohlene Literatur: Required reading: Please read at least one of the following two novels: Colson Whitehead's Underground Railroad (2016); Octavia Butler's Kindred (1978). All additional texts will be made availabe in the first session.
Digitale Lehre: Except for a couple of (asynchronous) course modules, this couse is a synchronous online course (Wed. 10-12 e.g. via Microsoft Teams). I expect students to attend our weekly sessions on a regular basis.
