Civilisations anglophones

In 1776, the Declaration of Independence proposed a new contract to Americans, promising them full equality and the upholding of unalienable rights, including “life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.” The formal assertion of individual liberties, featured in the Bill of Rights, was to protect American citizens against the possible excesses of an overbearing government and allow them access to unbiased justice. Citizenship was the condition required to enjoy this ambitious social pact, but the “pursuit of happiness” of African and LGBTQ Americans, relegated as they were to a lesser rank because of their race and/or sexual orientation, has been a long, hard struggle until the twenty-first century.

The aim of this seminar is to examine how the conceptions of race, ethnicity and sexuality have impacted both citizenship and group membership of all U.S. citizens. Historically, minority groups have experienced some degree of exclusion, stigmatization and discrimination that temporarily – or permanently – alienated and transformed them into “second-class citizens” by depriving them of the “due process of laws” and “equal protection under the Constitution” guaranteed by the 14th Amendment. We will explore how the struggles of those groups have shaped U.S. policy/society in order to “form a more perfect union”. Can political changes/culture wars cycles affect newly acquired “fundamental personal rights” (9th Amendment)? Subsequent topics will include racial segregation (Black Codes), referendum campaigns, voter suppression, (interracial) marriage.