QUESTIONS
ON THE ON-LINE Excerpts from Racism:
A Short History
If you have trouble writing a response using your own words,
you may not yet understand the author's arguments. Reread the
passage until you do understand it and so can answer in your
own language.
1) Using your own words (and only your own
words), carefully describe what the author thinks distinguishes
racism from "mere hatred for a group" (aka, xenophobia)?
Read closely as Fredrickson's thoughtful definitions of racism
and xenophobia differ from the sometimes sloppy use of those terms common in
popular discussion. In short, don't assume
you know the answer without reading carefully. Moreover,
don't decide you know the answer until you read up to the line
in the text that reads "chapter 1." Finally, pay close attention
to the reading hints I've embedded into the text; think hard
about this question as it represents a quarter of your grade
for this homework and is essential for your upcoming paper.
(25 points)
2) Identify three historical events or occurrences that the
author provides to support his argument that European anti-black
racism did NOT precede the start of the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade?
(that is, what evidence does the author have that European societies
exhibited little anti-black racism from ancient times all the
way up through the 15th century? in other words, chronologically
the enslaving of Africans by Europeans comes before racism against Africans by Europeans.) (5 points)
NOTE: Only one of your pieces of evidence for Question #2 can
come from Ancient Greece and Rome. Be sure that you chose 3
historical events -- rather than the author's wrap-up or summary
of events. So, for example, Fredrickson's sentence regarding
negrophilia would NOT be appropriate as one
of your 3 pieces of historical fact since he is merely summarizing
another historian's conclusions in that sentence, rather than
providing a specific event. Use your own words.
3) Take ONE piece of historical fact from question 2 and use
it to write a paragraph that both answers question 2 and follows
the claim/evidence/warrant format. Present your evidence in
the form of direct quotations of no more than 10 words. If you
don't know how to reduce a quotation to fewer than 10 words,
see here. (15
points)
Here
is a sample way to organize this paragraph -- although
you can organize your paragraph as you wish.
Remember, your warrant explains how and why your
evidence supports your claim.
Europeans
exhibited little anti-black racism from ancient
times all the way up through the 15th century. For example,____evidence____.
We can know from this evidence that Europeans did not
demonstrate anti-black racism in this period because __warrant_____.
|
4) According to the author, which non-European societies adopted anti-black racism long before such views
became prevalent in Europe? (a phrase will do here) (5 points)
5) As the author notes, in
the twelfth and thirteenth centuries, European attitudes towards
Jews became more hostile. Yet why, according to the author's
definition of racism, did this new violence and hated towards
Jews in this period NOT amount to racism and instead represents xenophobia? Use
your own words. Read closely as
Fredrickson's thoughtful definitions of racism and xenophobia differ from the sometimes sloppy use of those terms. In short, don't assume you know the answer without reading closely
and thinking carefully. (10 points)
6)
What ultimately
changed in Sixteenth-
and seventeenth-century Spain such that the actions and attitudes
of the country's Christian majority towards its Jewish minority
population should be considered racist (as
the author defines that term)? In other words, what events or circumstances lead
Spanish Christians to adopt attitudes and practices towards
Jews that are best described as racist (rather than merely xenophobic,
as they had been in the 12th and 13th centuries)? Use
your own words. (10 points)
7) complete
the following time line using information from the on-line excerpts from Racism:
A Short History. Be sure to fill out BOTH columns of
the chart; in the the last row,
you will need to fill in the date that goes with the event (in italics) already in the chart. Keep in mind Fredrickson's
central argument about the timing of racism's emergence when
filling in the chart. (5 points)
You
may want to keep a copy of your answers to this chart for when
writing your upcoming paper. (DOWNLOAD THIS TABLE AS AN MS-WORD DOCUMENT)
date |
what event occurred in
Christian/Jewish relations in Europe (or Spain) |
What
does the event reveal: (A) racism or (B)
xenophobia |
1096 |
|
|
1391 |
|
|
1412 |
|
|
|
sheer numbers of converts made traditional forms
of assimilation more difficult |
|
(DOWNLOAD THIS TABLE AS AN MS-WORD DOCUMENT)
Extra-Credit (requires a full paragraph, up
to five extra points):
The
author argues that if a certain set of historical circumstances
had not occurred, it is "quite possible" that European slaves
would "have toiled alongside (enslaved) Africans on New World
plantations." Explain. Describe the circumstances and the reasons
the author provides to make his argument. Use
your own words.