HIS 107 - Black Ancestors Matter (4 Cr.)

This course examines the idea of Rest in Peace at the intersection of nation-building, culture, colonialism, and race construction. Spaces and landscapes devoted to death, dying, mourning, and memorial can tell as much about the meaning of national death attitudes as it reflects heterogenous and even conflicting notions. Discussing ancient necropoli such as Egyptʼs Valley of the Kings/Queens and City of the Dead allows students the opportunity to understand how deathscapes are used to preserve memory left by the dead and interpreted by the living. Discussing unearthed grave sites such as the African Burying Ground in NYC and the New Black Cemetery in Rio de Janeiro forces students to grapple with how mass burial denies life. This course will allow students to see how historians position obituaries, grave records, funeral programs, and eulogies as primary sources to write history. There will be a theme of resistance, memory-making, and identity formation throughout the course. By engaging auto/biography as important to social justice, the course will also deal with the importance of remembering Black martyrs and their contributions to the world. Offered every other Fall.