Sociology and Criminology

Coloniality, Racism and Inequality

Module code: L3118B
Level 6
15 credits in spring semester
Teaching method: Workshop
Assessment modes: Essay

This module explores how ideas of ‘race’ and racism emerged in the context of coloniality and continue to be relevant today. How and why were categories such as the ‘Orient’ and the ‘Occident’ coined? How and why were humans classified into ‘different races’? How do these ascriptions operate ambiguously – by producing categorisations and sub-categorisations of belonging? How is the division of labour and property justified on their basis? How do current policies draw on and reproduce racism? And how have people resisted and mobilised against various forms of racist domination?

Approaching these questions from a de- and postcolonial perspective, the module draws our attention to the histories, geopolitics and institutional trajectories of race and racism. 

In this module you'll:

  • trace the making of ideas of Europe’s internal and external Others and the relevance of scientific racism during the Enlightenment
  • explore various dynamics of racialisation and the hierarchical relations they have produced during colonialism
  • examine, via several contemporary case studies, how these histories continue to determine whose lives matter today 
  • explore how colonial legacies and ideas of difference shape our understanding and practice of Higher Education, citizenship, human rights, borders, leisure, travel and home
  • make sense of current developments such as the humanitarian crisis at Europe’s borders or the ‘War on Terror’.

 

Module learning outcomes

  • Demonstrate detailed knowledge and understanding of different sociological perspectives on global social inequalities and consider their relative merits
  • Apply the contributions of different strands of de- and postcolonial thought to a variety of country case studies across and beyond Europe
  • Analyse and structure material from recent academic research, public debates, and, where relevant, personal experience, to illustrate the conceptual approaches covered in the module
  • Conduct independent research and critically appraise diverse sources of knowledge