Theories of History and Memory: Reckoning with Slavery in American History

This class begins with a survey of texts from several influential scholars in Memory Studies—including work by Aleida Assmann, Walter
Benjamin, Pierre Nora, Jeffrey Olick, and Michael Rothberg—then considers these concepts of history and memory within the context of slavery in the United States. In addition to developing a theoretical vocabulary in relation to memory, history, narrative, and chronology, students will wrestle with difficult questions in relation to the ongoing presence of Confederate monuments in the American South, and the case for reparations for slavery in the face of persistent inequities bequeathed by the history of slavery in the United States.

Elliott Niblock is a visiting instructor from the University of Virginia.