The U.S. and the Third World: A New Empire?
- Hsin-yu Shen (Iowa State University)
Abstract
What images come to mind when you hear the words "Third World"? How do the constructs of race, the rise of capitalism, and the emergence of globalization impact our perceptions of who belongs to either the "first" or "third" world? Does our perception of the U.S. as a "first" world hide the economic disparities within the nation? And in what ways has a legacy of colonization of "Third World" peoples impacted current economic and political policies?
By asking questions such as these, this session will introduce the growing field known as postcolonialism (courses that are offered at ISU) that looks at ways history has implicated our present in the midst of such global crises as impoverished countries and the threat of war. Subsequently, we will look at ways people have resisted inferior representations, reclaimed silenced histories, and struggled to rebuild communities in the midst of oppression, exploitation, and colonization.