Black Studies 274 - Be(ing)coming a Dictator

(Offered as ENGL 274, BLST 274, and POSC 274) This course investigates how dictatorships take shape, operate in practice, and erode democratic life. Rather than simply cataloging authoritarian regimes, we will ask three guiding questions: How is the stage set for dictatorship? How do charisma, fear, and the cult of personality sustain authoritarian power? How do oppression, censorship and self-censorship, propaganda, and corruption deepen its hold?

Most importantly, we will explore what African epistemologies and lived histories can teach us about the dynamics of domination, the possibilities of resistance, and the reimagining of democracy. How can these perspectives forge a subversive potential capable of countering and ending dictatorial rule? Drawing on African philosophy, history, political theory, literature, and music, the course examines both the fragility and the resilience of democratic life. African political thought and decolonial philosophy will help us think critically about power, legitimacy, and state violence. Fictional works and philosophical essays will illuminate how authoritarian logics embed themselves in everyday experience, while political science frameworks will provide tools to analyze institutional erosion, propaganda, and the manipulation of law.

Although centered on African and global perspectives, the course will also turn to the United States to consider what these readings reveal about the current American political landscape. Topics include the seductions and limits of charismatic leadership, the role of fear and spectacle in politics, and the possibilities of rebuilding democratic practices.

Limited to 40 students. Spring semester. Professor Thiam and Karl Loewenstein Fellow and Visiting Professor Machikou.