Third World, Self-Determination, and Ethnic Studies in the 1960s

Vocabulary flashcards covering key concepts from the lecture notes on Third World, self-determination, anti-colonial movements, and the birth of ethnic studies in the U.S.

Bandung Conference (1955)

A 1955 gathering in Bandung, Indonesia, where newly independent Asian and African states discussed national liberation, economic development, and non-alignment during the Cold War.

Tricontinental Conference (1966)

A 1966 conference in Havana that linked Latin America, Africa, and Asia to develop a common anti-imperialist revolutionary strategy.

Third World

A political project and transnational identity of decolonizing nations seeking independence and self-determination; not a fixed place, used to distinguish from First World (capitalist) and Second World (Soviet bloc).

First World

The capitalist bloc led by Western Europe and the United States during the Cold War.

Second World

The socialist bloc led by the Soviet Union and its allies during the Cold War.

Self-determination

The right of a people to determine their political status and pursue their own economic and social development; rooted in early-modern sovereignty ideas and later codified in international law, especially after WWII.

Consent of the governed

The principle that legitimate government derives its authority from the consent of the people it governs.

No taxation without representation

A revolutionary idea from the American tradition stating that taxation requires representation and political voice.

Wilsonian self-determination

Woodrow Wilson’s post-WWI vision of self-determination that often paid lip service to liberation while many colonies remained under colonial rule; a precursor to decolonization debates.

United Nations Charter (post-WWII)

The foundational postwar framework that enshrined self-determination and sovereignty for newly independent states within a global system.

California Master Plan for Higher Education (1960)

California policy creating a tiered system (UC, Cal State, community colleges) that expanded access but also moved admissions toward stricter criteria, reducing minority enrollment.

Third World Liberation Front (TWLF)

A coalition of SF State and Bay Area student groups that critiqued US higher education and pressed for ethnic studies using Third World and self-determination language.

“Creativity Crushing, Imagination Reducing, Brainwashing” (SF State strike poster)

A TWLF slogan accusing public education of stifling creativity, autonomy, and truthful learning.

Support the SF State Strike (pamphlet)

A pamphlet produced by the TWLF in solidarity with the SF State student strike.

TWLF Demands

The list of reforms the Third World Liberation Front demanded from the university to transform curricula, admissions, and governance.

Huey P. Newton on policing

Black Panther Party leader’s critique that police protect property and oppress communities, linking domestic policing to imperial violence abroad.

Racism and colonialism link

The idea that domestic racial oppression in the United States is connected to global systems of colonial exploitation and imperialism.