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Courses / Modules / HIST1185 Racism and Resistance: From Slavery to BLM

Racism and Resistance: From Slavery to BLM

When you'll study it
Semester 2
CATS points
30
ECTS points
15
Level
Level 4
Module lead
Thomas Ellis
Academic year
2025-26

Module overview

This module connects the recent Black Lives Matter protests in the US and UK to histories of slavery, resistance and racism, allowing students to explore the beginnings of slavery, and the history of the institution, how enslaved people resisted slavery, and the struggles for emancipation. As the module progresses, we will focus on the racism that has persisted after slavery. We will also consider the contexts of the Black Lives Matter movement and ongoing struggles and debates about racism, equality, and inclusion. As well as looking at these major themes, there will be opportunities to explore the lives and words of some of the people who lived through these struggles: from enslaved people and freedom fighters in the nineteenth century, to the civil rights activists, writers and protestors of the twentieth century and beyond.