Module 3 Materials
Introduction: Dh. Nandaraja about studying History deeply.
(This is an excerpt from the Courageous Conversations Series held in 2020).
Welcome to Module 3!
“Race” as we know it today is a recent invention in human history. The specific circumstances, causes and conditions of this invention and its subsequent reification are significant, and arguably still impacting us today.
In this module, we focus on two main topics which illuminate constructed nature of race in the early modern period. Both arise within a colonial context:
the Transatlantic Slave Trade and its massive global impact
the context in which “white” first appeared in an act of law, in 1681.
We invite you to supplement this exploration with forgotten or lesser known histories relevant to your local context or personal background, alone or as a group.
1) Our histories intertwined
Eugene Ellis, a mitra from our community who is also an author and psychotherapist with a focus on the racial construct and trauma, has generously made a chapter of his book Conversations about Race available. One the chapters skillfully pulls together the history of the Atlantic Slave trade, the colonization of India and the construction of “race.”
Chapter 4 Inside the Race Construct (Excerpt of 34 pages — likely 1 to 1.5 hours, with pauses).
2) The invention of “white” people
The lecture below by legal historian Jacqueline Battalora explains the specific historical circumstances in which “white people” (and thus non-white people) became inscribed into lay for the firs time in human history, in British colonies in the 1680s (Maryland and Virginia). This moment in history is mentioned by Eugene Ellis in his chapter above, as is Battalora’s scholarship. The lecture goes into a bit more detail in valuable ways, along with some visual aides.
Birth of a White Nation by Jacqueline Battalora.
The lecture is 36 minutes and goes at a workable pace. It’s fine to stop at the 28 min mark if needed.
Alternative options: There is a shorter (but faster!) version of the same historical events in a musical animated version here. (9 minutes). OR, if you are someone who does not like videos and prefers to read, this chapter from Jacqueline Battalora’s book covers the same topics (16 pages).
3) You Choose: go local / personal ! (optional)
In your context, what are the histories that have been forgotten, downplayed, erased or distorted? What are the histories that matter to you and your family personally? What do these histories have to teach us? In this third section, we invite you to complement your exploration in ways that are meaningful to you, either individually and/or as a group. Here are some ideas:
You might choose to study some additional materials specific to your cultural context or that you want to learn more about (see selections below for some options).
You might do some research about your family: did your ancestors own enslaved people, and/or how might they have been otherwise entangled in the slavery-based capitalism?
You might do some research about your town/city/region: what is the legacy of the Atlantic Slave Trade, or more generally of colonialism, in the very place where you live? You might need to really go digging!
You might watch a movie together, or visit a museum, or a memorial related to the history of enslaved people, the genocide and displacement of Native peoples and/or colonialism more generally. Plan a field trip!
Finally, you might feel that you already know more than enough about the history that has most impacted your family and your local context. Feel free to focus instead on histories you are less familiar with!
Gratitude
We are grateful to learn from the authors whose chapters are excerpted above. If you wish to support them by purchasing their books in full, you can do so at the links below:
The Race Conversation: An Essential Guide to Creating Life-Changing Dialogue, by Eugene Ellis
Birth of a White Nation: The Invention of White People and Its Relevance Today, by Jacqueline Battalora
Going Deeper - Additional Resources
This is absolutely not an exhaustive or definitive list, but simply a starting point. We welcome you to suggest further resources on our Discussion Board, particularly those relevant to geographies that are under represented. The focus here is history (versus more contemporary issues, for which further resources will also be listed in subsequent modules).
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Race: The Power of an Illusion clip (on genetics and race (6 min)
This is a helpful resource if you are curious about there being actual biological and trait differences between people of different “races.” The short answer is no, but we only really know this since the human genome project of the 1960s, and arguably these insights have not really been culturally integrated. A much longer version of the documentary can be found for rent here.
Below are some resources to explore bogus “Scientific Racism” and the idea of races as different species with substantive differences, organized hierarchically.
Crania Americana was an important 19th century book in the history of scientific racism also highlights US / UK cooperation (8 min).
And you can find out more about The Surprisingly Racist History of "Caucasian" (4 min)
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This is the well researched short video explaining the similarities and differences between race vs. ethnicity.
The following video is about the idea of white people as being ethnically “Caucasian”
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Animated Video Series on the History of White People
White - A Historical Video Essay on Race and Identity (14 min) - This includes similar content but addresses in more detail when/how Germans, Irish, Russians and other non-English Europeans became “white.”
The Origin of Race (10 min but very dense, easier to watch if you slow it down)
Why Did Europeans Enslave Africans? (9min) Includes an “Americas” and more global perspective on the Atlantic Slave Trade, helpful if this topic is new to you.
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Database
Database of the Centre for the Study of the Legacies of British Slavery.
Videos/Documentaries/Talks
David Olusoga - Britain’s Forgotten Slave Owners (15 min talk).
The full series of 4 documentaries is here (only works in the UK). Viewable in other countries on Apple TV here.
Britain And The Global Shame Of The Slave Trade - Timeline Documentary (49min) - Link for UK viewers here.
The True History Of Britain's Horrifying Role In Slavery Britain's Slave Trade | Timeline (49min) - Link for UK viewers here.
Akala Interview Race and Class in the Ruins of Empire (22 min)At ‘17 min, this includes an interesting explanation of how race/class dynamics are different in the UK vs. US.
Everything you know about the British Empire is a lie - George Monbiot (7 min - content warning: includes explicit coverage of atrocities)
Britain Does Owe Reparations to India, address of Dr Shashi Tharoor MP at Oxford (15 min)
Books
Akala. Natives: Race and Class in the Ruins of Empir.. London: Two Roads. (2019)
Olusoga, David. Black and British: A Forgotten History. Main Market Ed. edition. London: Pan Books (2017).
Chapter on “Histories” in Why I’m No Longer Talking to White People About Race by Reni Eddo-Lodge (2018)
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The 1619 Project series.
1619 podcastReconstruction: America After the Civil War - This four part documentary by Henry Louis Gates explores the transformative years following the American Civil War, when the nation struggled to rebuild itself in the face of profound loss, massive destruction, and revolutionary social change. This segment of history is rarely taught to white Americans and is absolutely critical. Alternative links here and here.
Talk with scholar Joel Edward Goza on America’s Unholy Ghosts. (14 min). He discusses the role of British philosophers Thomas Hobbes, John Locke, and Adam Smith in the development of Christian theologies justifying slavery and continued social inequities in the US.
When white supremacists overthrew a government in 1898, in Wilmington, North Carolina (12 min)
The massacre of Tulsa's "Black Wall Street" White mobs destroyed "Black Wall Street" in 1921.
Also: Tulsa massacre survivors testify to congress.Race and History - Interview with Bryan Stevenson, July 2016
Article "When Americans Lynched Mexicans.” Article here
Asian Americans is a five-hour film series that will chronicle the contributions, and challenges of Asian Americans, the fastest-growing ethnic group in the US. Personal histories and new academic research will cast a fresh lens on U.S. history and the role Asian Americans have played in it.
Wellbriety Journey to Forgiveness - Documentary on the abuses of the Indian Boarding Schools, discusses the intergenerational trauma in Native communities
BooksHannah-Jones, Nikole, and The New York Times Magazine. The 1619 Project: A New Origin Story. Edited by Caitlin Roper, Ilena Silverman, and Jake Silverstein. New York: One World, 2021.
Kendi, Ibram X. Stamped from the Beginning: The Definitive History of Racist Ideas in America.. New York: Bold Type Books, 2017.
Zinn, Howard. A People’s History of the United States.. Harper, 2017 (2001 1st ed).
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Four Part Documentary "Black in Latin America" based on this book :
Henry Louis Gates Jr.. Black in Latin America. (2011)
Preview (short 6min):
Part 1: Cuba: The Next Revolution?
Part 2: Mexico & Peru: The Black Grandma in the Closet
Part 3: Brazil: A Racial Paradise?
Part 4: Haiti & Dominican Republic: An Island Divided
Audio interview about the series.
More about the differences of slavery in the US and Latam in this article.
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Gratitude to Dharmacharini Gambhīrachittā for compiling this collection of resources
The Australian Wars SBS documentary series directed by Rachel Perkins, 2023First Australians SBS documentary series produced by Blackfella Films, 2008
Why Weren't We Told? A Personal Search for the truth about our history book by Henry Reynolds, 2000
Australia was founded on a hypocrisy that haunts us to this day, article by Henry Reynolds, 2018
The End of Silence ABC 2019 Boyer Lecture by indigenous film-maker and director Rachel Perkins
The biggest estate on earth: how Aborigines made Australia, article by Bill Gammage, 2011
Dark Emu, book by Bruce Pascoe, 2014
The Yield, historical fiction by Tara June Winch, 2019
Returning, poetry by Kirli Saunders, 2023
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Gratitude to Dharmacharini Gambhīrachittā for compiling this collection of resources
The NZ Wars Collection - RNZ video documentary and podcast series presented Mihingarangi Forbes, 2017-2023How Finance Colonised Aotearoa: A Concise Counter-History paper by Catherine Grace Cumming, 2019
Constitutional Intentions: The Treaty of Waitangi Texts Chapter 1, Professor Margaret Mutu - To honour the treaty, we must first settle colonisation' (Moana Jackson 2015): the long road from colonial devastation to balance, peace and harmony article by Professor Margaret Mutu, 2019
Why we need constitutional transformation article by Professor Margaret Mutu, 2022
Utu film directed by Geoff Murphy, 1983
From Parihaka to He Puapua: it's time Pākehā New Zealanders faced their personal connections to the past article by Richard Shaw, 2021
Uncovering the stories my family forgot, about a past still haunting Aotearoa article by Richard Shaw, 2022
Land of the Long White Cloud RNZ documentary series that tells the stories of white New Zealanders who are confronting our colonial past and present, 250 years after Cook’s arrival. 2019
Surrender, poetry by Michaela Keeble, 2022
