HIST 086. From Equiano to Oprah: Black Capitalism and Its Histories

In this course, we will examine how Black individuals and institutions from the 17th Century to the present have embraced, explored and inhabited capitalism and sought to relate it to Black political and social life. We will look at Black political projects that have advocated using capitalism as a key tool in achieving their objectives. We will study Black entrepreneurs in Atlantic slave societies, in the Americas after emancipation, and in colonial and postcolonial Africa, and the role of Black consumers in mass-market societies. We will also trace responses by white-dominated institutions and by black critics of capitalism to this history.
Fall 2023. Burke.

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