U.S. Colonial Present

Professor Lisa Lowe

Settler colonialism, slavery, racialized immigration and military empire have been integral to the emergence of the U.S. nation, state, and economy, and their historical consequences continue today. In this interdisciplinary graduate seminar, we study the relevance of these historical and ongoing formations to the founding and development of the United States, giving attention to the independence of each, as well as to their differences, convergences, and contestations. We consider the strengths and limits of given analytic frames for understanding our current historical crises of public health, economic austerity, and racial state violence. Despite the differentiated histories of settler colonialism, slavery, and empire, contemporary struggles and solidarities can identify links and convergences that colonial logics may disallow. The seminar includes readings in history, anthropology, political theory, and literature, as well as films and other media.