Critical Social Inquiry 0242 - Politics of Reparations

Racial reparations have been and continue to be one of the most explosive contemporary issues. Some argue that this country's history of enslavement renders some form of reparations necessary to the quest for social justice; that understanding reparations is central to honest conversations about race and racism. Others argue that reparations for past injustices such as slavery are unfair. Still others refuse to discuss the topic altogether. This course is concerned with the historic and contemporary reparations debate as it pertains to African Americans and other oppressed groups seeking repair for historic injustice. We will pay close attention to how historians, artists, legal scholars, political scientists, grassroots community activists and legislators have approached this issue, and gauge its relevance in our so-called "post-racial" moment.

Power, Community and Social Justice Independent Work Multiple Cultural Perspectives Writing and Research