Courses

This course explores Africa’s modern history through forms of popular culture as Africans navigated more than a century of profound political, economic, and social upheaval. From the end of the slave trade in the nineteenth century to the era of colonial rule, independence, and the uncertain times that followed, we will examine how everyday forms of cultural production in Africa both influenced and interpreted the course of events. By the end of the semester, students will be able to not only appreciate how new forms of popular culture arose out of specific historical conditions, but also analyze popular texts—songs, poems, films, photographs, and more—to understand how ordinary people,artists, and intellectuals made sense of their times.