13109

SoSe 22: The Systematization of „Race“: Imperial France 1750-1850

Daniel Schönpflug

Comments

In the Age of Enlightenment, existing concepts, norms, and practices of “race” were fundamentally transformed. On the one hand, since the early 18th century, philosophers and scientists had begun to theorize and research the diversity of humankind: Why do different phenotypes and cultures exist in the world? How do they differ from each other? And how do these differences relate to legal equality, that Enlightenment thinkers about human rights postulated? How does equality differ from sameness? On the other hand, since the second half of the 18th century, reforms and revolutions brought about new states, new constitutions, and new legal orders that slowly started to redefine the normative framework and the practices of racial relations. But in the course of these transformations, established practices such as the enslavement of Africans not only persisted, but at first even reached new peaks. The numerous attempts at a systematization of “race” in theory and practice thus produced contradictory outcomes – bringing about gradual processes of liberation, but also new forms of racial inequality and expropriation, and laying the foundations of modern “scientific” racism. This multifold global process will be studied looking mainly at the example of France and its consecutive colonial empires close

12 Class schedule

Regular appointments

Mon, 18:00 - 20:00 12 Class schedule

Mon, 2022-04-25 18:00 - 20:00

Lecturers:
Prof. Dr. Daniel Schönpflug