This lecture series sets out to explore cultural spaces that have often, and controversially, been regarded as Europe's 'dark Other'. Where does this persistent viewpoint stem from? What does it draw its sustenance from? The world's second-largest continent encompassing people whose mother-tongues comprise more than 1/4th of all the world's languages, Africa is still chiefly equated with "poverty, flies, famine, war, disease, and the limitless acres of savannah inhabited only by majestic game" (Henry Louis Gates Jr.).
In reviewing the extent to which African traditions, and in particular "the older world of magic" (V. S. Naipaul), have been transformed over the centuries of transcultural interaction with mainly Arabic and European slave traders and colonizers, we will be examining a variety of first-person accounts of encounters with African cultures in their historical contexts.
In advancing the African focus of this seminar, a selection of lectures by experts will form part of the course, while a short, on-site survey of two museums in Belgium showcasing "Africa" will be offered in late June to students keen to pursue more research in the field of representative practices.
MAIN TEXTS to be read for the lecture:
Naipaul, V. S. The Masques of Africa. London: Picador, 2010.
Saro-Wiwa, Noo. Looking for Transwonderland. London: Granta, 2012
Further course material will either be placed in the Semesterapparat (IB) or, if otherwise difficult to locate, will be made available in CLIX.
Participation
All lecture series material to be read as follows: before the session for which the text is scheduled, though reading the full texts before the first lecture is strongly recommended; regular attendance of the full lecture series; optional on-site survey of 2 museums; end of term written test.
Please check the TAS website under "Your Studies" for guidelines, especially on note-taking during a lecture series. |
