Rebelión: Black Resistance in the Caribbean

In 1978, Afro-Columbian artist Joe Arroyo recorded his hit song `Rebelión,' including lines such as "esclavitud perpetua," a reference to the 1452 Dum Diversas Papal Bull, and lines like "No le pegue a la negra," which evince a slave resistance based on a marital bond. This is an introductory course in Caribbean history with a focus on labor and rebellion. In this course, we will discuss slave revolts and revolutions in the Caribbean from the beginning of the Transatlantic Slave trade through present-day labor strikes in the Caribbean. Using Caribbean resistance music as the backdrop to many of our discussions, this course will engage with the metaphors and motifs found in riotous iconography, such as the machete (i.e. "El machete de Maceo," in Celia Cruz's 'Guantanamera'). Revolts covered include the 1500s slave revolts in Quisqueya, the Haitian Revolution, the 1843 La Escalera conspiracy in Cuba, the 1831 Christmas Rebellion in Jamaica, the Cuban Ten Years War, Little War, War of Independence, the 1959 Cuban Revolution, and present-day labor strikes in Haiti and the Dominican Republic. We will review and study historical records as well as read monographs by authors C.L.R James and historians Hilary Beckles, Ada Ferrer, Gerald Horne, and Aisha Finch, among others. This course will be by application only. Interested students should email Dr. Rosa (mlrosa@stanford.edu) and cc Marina Machado de Oliveira (marimach@stanford.edu) with 1. A short statement on how your interests and experiences relate to the course, and your familiarity with Black Atlantic history. 2. A resume or CV. First-Year Students without a resume are encouraged to apply. No formal background in history is required