Old stereotypes of the dark continent notwithstanding, it is by now widely accepted that Africa is a place with a complex history that has emerged—like all spaces –in complex interaction with other parts of the world. Africa has also been the site for enormously important theorizing in the broader social sciences. Our theories about social life are never entirely disconnected from the historical conditions of their production. Consequently, as the world changes, so too do our ways of viewing and understanding it. Using a primarily anthropological approach, this course explores key topics that have defined African studies since the late 20th century. We will focus especially on social memory and historical consciousness, youth and generational change, and finally, migration; across these themes we will pay particular attention to gender and the emotional/affective dimensions of experience. Each session will be grounded in ethnographic case studies, offering students a concrete understanding of how these issues unfold in the daily lives of people both living on the continent and beyond. The goal of the class is to introduce students to these particular topics and how they have been addressed. The class will also encourage reflection on the nature of social and historical change, as it manifests in the lives of researchers and those they interact with when conducting long-term participant research.
Requirements for the class include 1) two articles to be read in advance of each session (one article will be in French, the other in English) 2) class participation. This includes a) active discussion in class b) completion of in-class exercises 3) a final exam. Although lectures will be done in English, all participation, as well as the final exam, can take place in French.
- Enseignant: Deridder Marie