Race, Ethnicity and Gender in US and Czech Societies

An overview of U.S. culture from the perspective of its racial, ethnic, and gender "minorities." The course examines the notions of ethnicity, cultural diversity, and the "other" in the U.S. present and past in comparison with the Czech provenience. It focuses on the problematic struggle of various disempowered, marginalized "minorities" in American society to gain recognition as full and equal members of a society that claims to be a haven for all oppressed from the rest of the world - a society that prides itself on its openness, pluralism, and equality of opportunity. We shall see that, rather than attacking the hypocrisy of this society, minorities have now and again chosen to appeal to the fairness of the very people who exclude them. The minorities (Jewish, Roma, Vietnamese) and women in Czech lands - like those in the US - have also attacked - or appealed to - the dominant culture. In this course, we shall explore the response and reactions of both "sides" of the dialogue.