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Legal Constructions of Race in the Netherlands
Summer in Amsterdam Program
Amsterdam, Netherlands
Dates: early Jul 2027 - mid Jul 2027
Legal Constructions of Race in the Netherlands
OVERVIEW
CEA CAPA Partner Institution: Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam
Location: Amsterdam, Netherlands
Primary Subject Area: Sociology
Instruction in: English
Transcript Source: Partner Institution
Course Details: Level 300
Recommended Semester Credits: 3
Contact Hours: 46
DESCRIPTION
Why does racial discrimination and inequality remain a problem in modern society? By now, most academic discussions accept that the idea of "race", when used to describe individuals or groups of people, is not a biological fact, but a social construct. However, explaining how this social construction works in practice can be difficult. This course aims to remedy that difficulty.
Using the Netherlands as a case study, it provides historical context and concrete examples of how "race" has functioned as a legal concept throughout history and how laws regulating race have adapted to the postcolonial, some say even post-racial world. By examining how race is enacted through laws in different eras and territories, we will get to the central question of why racial inequality and discrimination persist.
While the course uses the Netherlands and the former Dutch empire as a primary case study, it does so through a comparative lens, aimed at students from all over the world. The course will highlight similarities in legal constructions of race among European colonial powers and how those colonial practices influence international law in the postcolonial era, especially as it pertains to issues of human rights and migration. Decolonization and decolonial movements in Asia and Africa will provide important counterexamples to racializing practices in Europe.
Finally, the history of legal constructions of race will be used to assess and evaluate the role of white supremacy in current populist movements across the world. All materials are in English.
Using the Netherlands as a case study, it provides historical context and concrete examples of how "race" has functioned as a legal concept throughout history and how laws regulating race have adapted to the postcolonial, some say even post-racial world. By examining how race is enacted through laws in different eras and territories, we will get to the central question of why racial inequality and discrimination persist.
While the course uses the Netherlands and the former Dutch empire as a primary case study, it does so through a comparative lens, aimed at students from all over the world. The course will highlight similarities in legal constructions of race among European colonial powers and how those colonial practices influence international law in the postcolonial era, especially as it pertains to issues of human rights and migration. Decolonization and decolonial movements in Asia and Africa will provide important counterexamples to racializing practices in Europe.
Finally, the history of legal constructions of race will be used to assess and evaluate the role of white supremacy in current populist movements across the world. All materials are in English.