230692 Rainbow coalitions: African American and Latino Movements and Cultures in the U.S. (S) (WiSe 2024/2025)

The convergence of massive migration waves of African Americans from the Deep South and immigrants from Latin America and the Caribbean in urban centers such as New York and Los Angeles has brought about a rich history of contact, conflict, and cooperation between diverse communities. With a special focus on the 1960s and 1970s, we will take a look at parallels, differences, and intersections in how African American and Latino movements and cultures dealt with regimes of social marginalization and white supremacy in the United States. We will discuss historical developments, activists, movement icons, organizations, ideas, and cultural manifestations that defined African American and Latino struggles such as the Civil Rights and Black Power movements and expressions of Puerto Rican, Chicano and Afro-Latino identity formation, discerning instances of inter-ethnic solidarity and collaboration but also of rivalry and confrontation. In light of the ongoing struggles against anti-Black racism and for immigrant rights, one of the goals of this seminar is to explore the long-lasting impact of the Civil Rights-Black Power era on the cultural, social and political movements of the 21st century.