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The final History Department Seminar Series of this year will feature Richard Wenghofer of the Classics program, speaking on "The Racialization of Civic Identity in Classical Athens."
Richard's paper will argue, contrary to received wisdom, that racism did exist in ancient Athens, and it emerged in lockstep with, and as an indirect consequence of, the evolution of democratic political structures and their concomitant social and political ideologies (full abstract below).
Wednesday, Mar 25, 10:30 am, F307
Refreshments will be served.
See you there!
Abstract:
Until quite recently there has been a general consensus among ancient historians that the concept of race and the dysfunction of racism did not exist in antiquity. More recently, however, some historians of ancient Greece and Rome have identified the existence of concepts that are broadly analogous to modern notions of race and have uncovered modes of behavior that can rightly be defined as racist. This paper seeks to identify the origins and evolution of racist ideas in Classical Athens. The main argument to be presented is that racist thought emerged in Classical Athens in lockstep with, and as an indirect consequence of, the evolution of democratic political structures and their concomitant social and political ideologies.
