HR930-7-AU-CO:
History, Power, and Identity
2023/24
Philosophical, Historical and Interdisciplinary Studies (School of)
Colchester Campus
Autumn
Postgraduate: Level 7
Current
Thursday 05 October 2023
Friday 15 December 2023
20
22 September 2023
Requisites for this module
(none)
(none)
(none)
(none)
(none)
MA V10E12 History, Power, and Identity
What is at stake in histories of power and identity? This module helps students to negotiate debates through examination of crucial concepts, including 'power', 'embodiment', and 'intersectionality', and consideration of different approaches to researching and writing histories of power and identity.
In each session, we explore historical case studies illustrating the resonances of power and agency, conflict and cooperation, and oppression and resistance in diverse times and places. We consider how certain identities can reinforce as well as challenge power structures, and the inescapability of gender, 'race', and sexuality in shaping experiences of everyday life.
The aims of this module are:
- To ensure that students are familiar with a range of concepts, approaches, and theories used in contemporary writing about history, power, and identity.
- To enable students to critically assess and engage with diverse theoretical, conceptual, and methodological approaches to the study of history, power, and identity at an advanced level.
- To support students in developing the appropriate skills to successfully apply differing concepts, approaches, and theories to the study of history, power, and identity.
- To support students’ development of critical understanding of how the questions that historians ask about power and identity relate to concepts, sources, and methods, as well as previous scholarship.
- To enable students to compare different concepts, approaches, and theories to the study of history, power, and identity across and between different chronological and geographical contexts.
By the end of this module, students will be expected to be able to:
- Ddemonstrate understanding of concepts, approaches, and theories used in studies of history, power, and identity.
- Show insight into debates concerning the ways in which histories of power and identity are written, including critical knowledge of historical concepts, theories, and methods.
- Critically examine the use of concepts, theories, and methods in practical historical writing about power and identity.
- Ask sophisticated questions in their own specialist field of study.
- Examine the ways in which approaches have been used in fields beyond their own.
- Display methodological rigour in the formulation of questions and hypotheses, the choice of methods appropriate to answering and evaluating those questions and hypotheses and the treatment of evidence.
- Present, accurately, succinctly and lucidly, and in written or oral form their arguments in accordance with appropriate scholarly conventions.
The module is divided into two parts: 'Thinking about History, Power, and Identity' and 'Researching Histories of Power and Identity'. Because the module explores recent trends in historical writing, specific topics and case studies may change to reflect current debates and practices. Typical case studies that might be examined include madness, disability, slavery, witchcraft, trans histories, and activism. An indicative syllabus is provided below.
Each session on this block is split into two parts: the first examines particular concepts associated with power and identity, and the second applies these concepts to historical case studies.
Part I: Thinking about History, Power, and Identity
- Introduction: Power and Identity Past and Present.
- Power.
- 'Race'.
- Embodiment.
- Intersectionality.
Part II: Researching Histories of Power and Identity
This part of the module considers the techniques historians have developed to meet challenges in researching histories of power and identity. Each sessions builds on and further interrogates concepts explored in the first part of the module.
- Subaltern Studies.
- Law, Medicine, and Psychiatry.
- Voice and Agency.
- Activist Histories.
- Essay Workshop.
This module will be delivered via:
- One 2-hour seminar per week.
All Module information will be available via Moodle. Key readings will be digitised an available on Talis Aspire.
-
-
Kishwar, M. (1986) ‘Gandhi on women’,
Race & Class, 28(1), pp. 43–61. Available at:
https://doi.org/10.1177/030639688602800103.
-
-
-
-
Trouillot, M.-R. and Carby, H.V. (2015)
Silencing the past: power and the production of history. Boston, Massachusetts: Beacon Press. Available at:
https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&scope=site&db=nlebk&db=nlabk&AN=846508.
-
-
Sinfield, A. (1994) The Wilde century: effeminacy, Oscar Wilde and the queer moment. London: Cassell.
-
Foldy, Michael S., 1953- (1997) The trials of Oscar Wilde?: deviance, morality, and late-Victorian society. New Haven: Yale University Press.
-
Hacking, I. (1996) ‘The looping effects of human kinds’, in D. Sperber, D. Premack, and A.J. Premack (eds)
Causal Cognition. Oxford University Press, pp. 351–383. Available at:
https://doi.org/10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198524021.003.0012.
-
Berry, D.R. (2017) The price for their pound of flesh: the value of the enslaved from womb to grave in the building of a nation. Boston: Beacon Press.
-
Foster, T. (2018) ‘The Sexual Abuse of Black Men under American Slavery’, in D.R. Berry and L.M. Harris (eds)
Sexuality and slavery: reclaiming intimate histories in the Americas. Athens: The University of Georgia Press. Available at:
https://www-jstor-org.uniessexlib.idm.oclc.org/stable/j.ctt22nmc8r.12.
-
Doddington, D.S. (2021) ‘Old age, resistance, and surviving slavery in the US South’,
Slavery & Abolition, pp. 1–23. Available at:
https://doi.org/10.1080/0144039X.2021.1886571.
The above list is indicative of the essential reading for the course.
The library makes provision for all reading list items, with digital provision where possible, and these resources are shared between students.
Further reading can be obtained from this module's
reading list.
Assessment items, weightings and deadlines
Coursework / exam |
Description |
Deadline |
Coursework weighting |
Coursework |
Concept study (1000 words) |
29/11/2023 |
20% |
Coursework |
Essay (4000 words) |
31/01/2024 |
80% |
Exam format definitions
- Remote, open book: Your exam will take place remotely via an online learning platform. You may refer to any physical or electronic materials during the exam.
- In-person, open book: Your exam will take place on campus under invigilation. You may refer to any physical materials such as paper study notes or a textbook during the exam. Electronic devices may not be used in the exam.
- In-person, open book (restricted): The exam will take place on campus under invigilation. You may refer only to specific physical materials such as a named textbook during the exam. Permitted materials will be specified by your department. Electronic devices may not be used in the exam.
- In-person, closed book: The exam will take place on campus under invigilation. You may not refer to any physical materials or electronic devices during the exam. There may be times when a paper dictionary,
for example, may be permitted in an otherwise closed book exam. Any exceptions will be specified by your department.
Your department will provide further guidance before your exams.
Overall assessment
Reassessment
Module supervisor and teaching staff
Dr Matthew Grant, email: m.grant@essex.ac.uk.
PHAIS Postgraduate Queries: phaispg@essex.ac.uk
Yes
Yes
No
Prof Rohan McWilliam
Anglia Ruskin University
professor of Modern Hritish History
Available via Moodle
Of 20 hours, 20 (100%) hours available to students:
0 hours not recorded due to service coverage or fault;
0 hours not recorded due to opt-out by lecturer(s), module, or event type.
Disclaimer: The University makes every effort to ensure that this information on its Module Directory is accurate and up-to-date. Exceptionally it can
be necessary to make changes, for example to programmes, modules, facilities or fees. Examples of such reasons might include a change of law or regulatory requirements,
industrial action, lack of demand, departure of key personnel, change in government policy, or withdrawal/reduction of funding. Changes to modules may for example consist
of variations to the content and method of delivery or assessment of modules and other services, to discontinue modules and other services and to merge or combine modules.
The University will endeavour to keep such changes to a minimum, and will also keep students informed appropriately by updating our programme specifications and module directory.
The full Procedures, Rules and Regulations of the University governing how it operates are set out in the Charter, Statutes and Ordinances and in the University Regulations, Policy and Procedures.