Africa In the World

Examination of contemporary and historical cultural production on and from Africa across a range of registers, including literary, musical, and visual arts, material culture, and science and technology. We employ key theoretical concepts from history, anthropology, political science, psychology, sociology, literature, and social theory to analyze these forms and phenomena, and help to both situate contemporary cultural production and to interrogate the future directions of African being in the world. Anchoring our discussions in case studies, we consider how Africa’s place in and relationship to the global is articulated through creative practices. The course shows creative cultures and cultural production as not only aesthetic or functional, but also thoroughly political. We explore cases from throughout the continent.