The Politics of Race and Diaspora (level 7)

• Credit value: 30 credits at Level 7
• Convenor and tutor: William Ackah
• Assessment: a 3000-word critical review (40%) and 5000-word essay (60%)

This module explores issues of identity, displacement, racism and empowerment through the lens of communities and individuals who live in spaces and places away from what might be considered their ‘original homeland’. Using examples from the African diaspora and other diaspora communities, this module uses music, literature, art, film, politics and the experiences of individuals and groups to provide a rich and thought-provoking exploration of contemporary identity formation.

Indicative module syllabus

• Introduction to the Politics of Race and Diaspora
• Theorising Diasporas
• Racialised Diasporas: the Case of Africans
• Creative Production in Diasporic Spaces and Places
• The African American Experience
• Gender and Diaspora
• Diasporas of Faith
• Diasporas and Public Policy
• Diasporas: a Critical Reflection

By the end of this module, you will:

• understand and be able to critically engage with academic debates and theorising on diasporic communities
• be able to critically analyse and assess the significance of economic, political and social processes on the formation of diasporic communities
• be able to compare and contrast diasporic communities and identities over time and space and critically evaluate the role that racialisation plays in contrasting fortunes of particular communities
• understand, appreciate and be able to critically interrogate the cultural significance of diasporic cultural production and assess its relevance to both artist and community
• be able to critically evaluate the political and cultural activities of diasporic communities
• understand the faith-based traditions and related activism of diasporic communities
• be able to critically assess the relevance of diasporic identities and cultures to contemporary debates and public policy on immigration and cohesion
• be critically informed and engaged with public policy debates and policy process in relation to issues of race, migration and diasporic cultures.