History 390STA - Utopias and Dystopias

Another world is possible! Social movements everywhere have adopted this slogan in recent decades. Activists in the more distant past were often guided by the same belief. As they struggled to survive in the face of tyranny and oppression, many also fought to develop new revolutionary systems based on principles like equity, autonomy, inclusiveness, and environmental sustainability. This course examines some of these struggles and how their protagonists tried to create a better future. Case studies will include Black and Indigenous liberation movements in U.S. history, revolutions in Latin America and Asia, radical working-class movements in Europe, and even some examples from Massachusetts. We will also look at how some ?revolutionary? visions have gone wrong, contributing to the oppression of certain groups. Finally, we will consider some radical visions that were ugly and horrific from the start, such as Nazism.