Africa is more than a continent, it is the origin of our evolutionary forbearers, populations of skilled labor that built America and Europe’s wealth, flora, fauna and minerals of great value, and of course cultural forms from music and sculpture to food and cloth. This course celebrates the complex contributions of the continent to the world in which we live today. It begins by rethinking the geography of the continent, re-stitching North Africa and sub-Saharan Africa into a single interconnected space. It goes on to explore the contributions of African populations to the cultures and histories of the Indian Ocean, the Mediterranean, and the Atlantic world. The course is punctuated by profiles of intriguing individuals and voices that bring these histories to life. Weekly assignments include short videos and readings by journalists, policy makers, activists, and scholars. We will explore the place of Africa in the rise of Pan-Africanism, the rise of peace activists with novel approaches to resolving conflict, and the calls of leaders to a sense of global citizenship that might address environmental degradation. Taking an approach through circulation, we will explore cuisine, cloth, literature, and soccer. Because it has faced so many health challenges, the continent has produced specialists in microbiology, HIV/AIDS, and Ebola management. Finally, we will take stock of some of the ways that contemporary Africans contribute to communications technology, democracy, gender justice and the art world in ways that have relevance for the world today.
About Barbara Cooper
Barbara Cooper’s undergraduate and graduate training ranges from the “great books” of the Western tradition to the languages and cultures of Africa, with detours into experiential learning and art school. Her doctoral work at the African Studies Center of Boston University exposed her to the Hausa language, the political economy of agriculture, and the anthropology of gender. Professor Cooper’s research draws upon both oral and archival sources to reconstruct the social and cultural history of West Africa. Her focus is on the former French colonies of the Sahel, particularly Niger, where she has conducted fieldwork for thirty years. She is the author of three books and numerous articles and chapters on the history of Niger and the Sahel.