CCOT and Revolutions

So I run into this in my African American History class especially in the Enslavement unit for obvious reasons and a couple years ago my colleagues and I rebranded it as "Enslavement and Resistance" and when we kick off the unit we highlight "there was no point, from day one, that african people and later black americans did not actively resist enslavement the entire time." and then we make a point of showing some examples of how they resisted, both in overt and covert ways. I think if you root things in resistance and individuals dissenting even if they didn't pervail, that will REALLY help.

Haitian Revolution is my favorite thing to teach. There are so many resources available for this online...when I teach about Tainos, there are many recent documentaries that literally looks at cultural continuity. Here are some resources - 

Who Were the Taíno, the Original Inhabitants of Columbus’ Island Colonies? | Smithsonian 

The Haitian American Dream Timeline

Lesson Plans

Freda Anderson , I like this concept.

In my world, we talk about resilience. The idea of "we're still here". That's one we like. But to couch enslavement (or any persecution) in "resistance" means to track the ever-present active response through history. It gives the topic an enduring timeline, not just an event that came and went.

I'm thinking of how to put the idea of resistance into all manners of genocide as well. Any ideas?

Thank you, Jazmin Puicon !!

Hello, Rachel Reinhart . This is a great practice -- I do try to layer CCOT into my classes (more successfully in some than others). We are currently working through the concept of how successful were enslaved people & local people in challenging the encroaching state power (in AP World). Students use a variety of materials to evaluate the degree of success, so they could write a full essay response. 

In my on-level classes, there is a passion on how people responded to the state's power. The spirit of the conquered societies is one that my students love to pursue, and can see how this connects to BLM, LGBTQIA+ and other movements.

These are wonderful examples shared by community members; one more to add to it is from South Asia. While British colonialism sought to suppress traditional South Asian culture, movements like Gandhi’s Salt March showcased a return to indigenous values of self-reliance. To counter cotton colonialism, the nationalists started using traditional symbols, such as spinning cotton on the charkha (wheel), to resist British rule. Indian nationalists adopted khadi (hand-woven) cloth as a symbol of resistance and incorporated the spinning wheel into the design of their flag.

Mehreen Jamal ,

I have a student deep into "The Poisonwood Bible" and loving it. I want to use it as a focal point to create some lessons on Colonialism and Western indifference. I'm not sure exactly how to go about it or how large a scope I want.

Any ideas?

If anyone else has ideas, please join in as well!

This sounds great, but I haven’t had the chance to read The Poisonwood Bible yet. It looks like an excellent resource about the history of the Belgian Congo. I’d also like to hear from community members on how they used this book in their lessons. 

Of course! Glad to be helpful!