Black Solidarities

This seminar invites junior‐ and senior‐year scholars to interrogate solidarity and coalition through the lenses of Black studies, archival practice, and intersectional politics. Liberation is not a zero‐sum game. Black solidarities are both a theoretical framework and a tactical archive. Black Solidarities disrupts the idea of a Black monolith, i.e. there is no singular "Black community" or "Black experience." This course pushes us to mine the fissures in Black experience for the differences emerging from intersectional experiences of liberatory thought, politics, and social realities. We will explore the meaning of solidarity and coalition as sociological and historical phenomena. Through close readings, multimedia interviews, podcasts, and original research, students will:

- Define and critique the sociological concepts of solidarity, coalition, and allyship in contemporary U.S. and global contexts.
- Explore the tensions and possibilities of extending Black‐centered analysis to other struggles (Indigenous, Palestinian, disability, climate justice, etc.) without diluting the centrality of anti‐Blackness.
- Produce three substantive writing projects that blend scholarly analysis with public‐facing formats (essay, interview‐based piece, or podcast script). By semester’s end, students will have a concrete sense of what solidarities mean across social movement struggles and how individuals translate that knowledge into accountable, solidaristic action.