Studies in Africa and the African Diaspora

Catalog description

Credits 3. 3 Lecture Hours. COURSE OVERVIEW. Explores the history of Africa and its global diasporas through the perspective of archaeology and related fields. Examines prehistoric African cultures, ancient civilizations and pre-Atlantic trade and exchange networks. Explores the nature of the transatlantic trade and the creation of the African Diaspora in the Americas and the Caribbean. Explores the cultural identities of African-descended communities in the Americas and other regions of the world. Applies interdisciplinary research methods that combine historical, archaeological and ethnographic case studies to challenge colonial narratives about Africa and its diasporas. Uses hands-on work with material culture and related evidence to highlight archaeology’s role in understanding the histories and cultures of Africa and its diasporas. TOPICS AND THEMES. African prehistory and civilizations, West Africa before Europe, Africa and its global diasporas, Atlantic Africa and the creation of the African diaspora, African cultural resilience, adaptation, and hybridity in the African diaspora, landscapes of power and resistance, material culture, memory, heritage and social justice. Prerequisite: Junior or senior classification.