Race, Empire and Nation
The Atlantic World (1888) from A Historical Geography of the British Colonies, by Charles P. Lucas / Public Domain, Wikimedia Commons
One of our strengths as a department is our focus on colonialism, imperialism and the nations that emerged from their long history. This area of specialization is energized by faculty collaboration, bringing together multiple threads of inquiry about the North and South Atlantic world. At its center, this field grapples with issues of social inclusion and exclusion based on constructed categories of race and ethnicity as well as the study of slavery and its many consequences.
Sub-fields
The history of Africa is fundamental to numerous fields, from the histories of trade and cultural exchange and the foundations of the Atlantic slave trade to the age of empires and decolonization.
Faculty
Benin City in the 17th century, with the Oba of Benin in procession.
Public Domain Wikimedia Commons
A unique strength of our department is our focus on the history of Latin America and the Caribbean. Our faculty examine this region from before European contact through to today, with particular emphasis on the region's role in the Western Hemisphere and interactions with the United States and other colonial powers.
Faculty
De Bry, Theodore, Grands and Petits Voyages, 1594
Our faculty seeks to better understand the long and painful history of slavery, from its origins and aftermath in Africa, to the height of the Atlantic slave trade, to its use and its abolition in North and South America and the Caribbean.
Faculty
A slave ship, 1791 Public Domain, Wikimedia Commons
Our faculty examine the many ways that international powers have dominated other countries and peoples, through the establishment of colonies, the control of economies, the exploitation of resources, and the acquisition of territories. This field is often transnational in nature, and explores the ways that different cultures interact, clash, and change.
Faculty
The Empire Needs Men, Arthur Wardle WWI recruiting poster. Public Domain, Wikimedia Commons
