of Africa 01:070:243

Spring 2018, Starts 01/16

Cathryn Townsend [email protected] Room 309, Biological Sciences Building, Douglass Office Hours: Tuesdays 2:00pm – 4.00pm Classroom Hours: Mondays 10:55am-12.15pm RAB 207 D/C, Thursdays 10.55 – 12.15pm, BIO 205 D/C

Credits: Course Number: 01:070:361

Course Description

This course explores the central issues and debates in the anthropology of sub-Saharan Africa. The objectives of the course are to give students a broad appreciation for 1) the cultural and historical diversity of the region, and 2) the role that ethnographic research has played in our understanding of this diversity. In media and in popular representations, Africa is frequently portrayed as a place of poverty, conflict, and dependence. This course will examine many of the problems that contemporary Africans face. Our aim, however, will be to contextualize these problems and counter prevailing narratives about Africa by exploring the resilience and rich cultural life on the continent. We will take a geographically and thematically broad approach to address topics including colonialism and post-colonialism, kinship and social organization, ethnicity and nationality, economics and politics, globalization, religion, health, gender and sexuality, the arts and popular culture. Students will learn to connect examples of ethnographic fieldwork with the key theoretical contributions of the anthropological study of Africa. A contemporary novel, current news articles, and selections from popular African cinema and music will complement ethnographic readings and films. The course will incorporate lectures and group discussion.

Core Curriculum Learning Goals Met by this Course

Areas of Inquiry

B: Social Science and History h. Understand the bases & development of human and societal endeavors across time and place.

B1: Historical Analysis k. Explain the development of some aspects of African society and culture over time, including the history of ideas or history of science. l. Employ historical reasoning to study human endeavors. B2: Social Analysis m. Understand different theories about human culture, social identity, economic entities, political systems, and other forms of social organization.

1 n. Apply concepts about human and social behavior to particular questions or situations.

Learning Objectives

1. Students will expand their knowledge of the diversity of African peoples and societies.

2. Students will understand how life has changed on the African continent and be able to connect current events to their historical antecedents.

3. Students will learn to connect examples of ethnographic fieldwork with the key theoretical contributions of the anthropological study of Africa.

Course Components & Evaluation

Participation and Attendance (25%): Active participation, regular attendance and timely arrival are expected in this course. Students are expected to demonstrate consistent engagement with the course. ‘Engagement’ means that for each class session, you should: 1) complete the readings; 2) come prepared with thoughts and questions; 3) contribute to our group discussion. In other words, mere attendance is not sufficient to earn a high mark for participation. The instructor reserves the right to issue “pop quizzes” on assigned readings and count these towards the participation grade.

Students are expected to attend all classes; an attendance sheet will be circulated at the beginning of each class. If you expect to miss one or two classes, please use the University absence reporting website (https://sims.rutgers.edu/ssra/) to indicate the date and reason for your absence. An email is automatically sent to me. Per university policy, in cases where you must miss class for periods longer than one week, you will be directed to see a Dean of Students for assistance to help verify these circumstances. Your grade will be reduced for each class meeting you miss over two, with exceptions made for documented emergencies.

Map Quiz (5%): At the beginning of Lecture 2, on January 29th, there will be a short quiz covering the political geography of contemporary Africa.

Short response papers (4 assignments x 5% = 20% of course grade) Four times in the semester you will write short response papers of around 750 words (approximately three double-spaced pages). These responses should be submitted in hard copy at the beginning of the assigned class and relate to the readings for that day. Assignments will not be accepted late. You should structure your responses using a conventional essay style (Introduction, Body, Conclusion, References).

Content may include:

a) A brief analysis of the readings. What are the main arguments being made? b) A short evaluation of the readings. What are the strengths and weaknesses of the readings? What kinds of evidence do the authors use? Is the author’s interpretation convincing? What other interpretations might be made? c) A discussion of the relationship between these and other course materials. d) Relating the readings to current or historical events. e) Questions for further inquiry that the readings might suggest.

Any assignment turned in with plagiarized materials will be given a zero and reported to the appropriate university authorities. Please see the Rutgers academic integrity policy and consult with me if you have any questions about what constitutes plagiarism.

Midterm essay (25%): Write a 2,000 word essay that analyzes Aman: The Story of a Somali Girl with reference to one or more themes we have taken up in the course. These themes might include: representations of Africa; gender; witchcraft; ancestors; and pastoralism. Please submit your essay as a Word attachment under the Assignments tab on Sakai by 12:15pm on Friday, March 9th. Essays will be marked down 5% for each day late. Plagiarism will result in a zero for the essay.

Final exam (25%): For the exam, you will be given a mixture of multiple choice and short-answer questions to answer.

Academic Integrity

All students must strictly adhere to the Rutgers Academic Integrity Policy, which identifies and defines violations of cheating, fabrication, facilitating academic dishonesty, plagiarism, and denying others access to information or material. Full definitions of each of these violations, as well as the consequences of violating the Academic Integrity Policy, are available online at http://academicintegrity.rutgers.edu I encourage you to study this website carefully for information about what constitutes plagiarism and how to properly acknowledge the ideas and words of other. The complete Policy can be viewed at: http://academicintegrity.rutgers.edu/academic-integrity- policy

Absence Reporting

If you will be absent, please email me and report your absence through the online absence reporting system: https://sims.rutgers.edu/ssra/

Course Outline

General Orientation Class Thursday, 1January

Lecture 1: The Map of Africa Thursday, 25 January

Essential Reading: McNulty, Michael. 1995. "The Contemporary Map of Africa," pp. 3-45, in Africa, Phyllis Martin and Patrick O'Meara, Eds. Indiana University Press.

Watch in class: BBC Audio Slideshow: Mapping Africa (http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world- 12675464)

Lecture 2: Representations of Africa Monday, 29 January

In Class Quiz: the map of Africa

“Introduction” to Part I: Representation and Discourse (POA)

Jean Comaroff and , “Africa Observed: Discourses of the Imperial Imagination” (POA)

Lecture 3: Witchcraft, Science & Rationality Thursday, 1 February

Essential Reading:

“Introduction” to Part V: Witchcraft, Science, and Rationality: The Translation of Culture (POA)

Evans-Pritchard, “The Notion of Witchcraft Explains Unfortunate Events” (POA)

Watch in class: “Strange Beliefs” (2-2522)

Lecture 4: Elders & Ancestors Monday, 5 February

Essential Reading: “Introduction” to Part VI: Ancestors, God, and the Philosophy of Religion (POA)

W.P. Murphy, “Secret knowledge as property and power in Kpelle society: Elders versus youth.” Africa 50 (1980): 193-207.

Lecture 5: Hunters & Gatherers, Immediate-Return Thursday, 8 February

First Reading Response Due

Essential Reading:

Introduction: to Part IV: Hunter-Gatherers in Africa (POA)

James Woodburn. 2005. ‘Egalitarian Societies Revisited (Chapter 1)’. In Property & Equality, Volume 1: Ritualisation, Sharing, Egalitarianism’, Widlok, T & Tadesse, W. G. (eds.), New York, Oxford: Berghahn Books.

Read in class: Excerpts from Colin Turnbull’s The Forest People Watch in class: “N!ai: The Story of a !Kung Woman” (2-1638)

Lecture 6: Hunters & Gatherers, Delayed-Return Monday, 12 February

Essential Reading:

Corinne Kratz. 2000. ‘Forging Unions and Negotiating Ambivalence: Personhood and Complex Agency in Okiek Marriage Arrangement’ in I. Karp and D. A. Masolo (eds.), African Philosophy as Cultural Inquiry, Bloomington IN: Indiana University Press.

Read in Class: Excerpts from Colin Turnbull’s The Mountain People

Lecture 7: Horticulturalists Thursday, 15 February

Essential Reading:

Ester Boserup. 1970. ‘The Economics of Polygamy’. POA

Jane I. Guyer. 2005. ‘Female Farming in Anthropology & African History’. In M. di Leonardo (ed.), Gender at the Crossroads of Knowledge.

Lecture 8: Pastoralists Monday, 19 February

Second Reading Response Due

Essential Reading:

John Iliffe. 2004. ‘Honour, Rank and Warfare Among the Yoruba”. In John Iliffe, Honour in African History (Cambridge University Press).

Dorothy L. Hodgson. 1999. ‘Pastoralism, and History: Changing Gender Relations among Maasai in Tanganyika, 1850-1930.’ Journal of African History 40(1): 41-65.

Lecture 9: Structure & Agency (Aman) Thursday, 22 February

Essential Reading:

First half of Virginia Lee Barnes and Janice Boddy, 1994. Aman: The Story of a Somali Girl (RT)

Lecture 10: Structure & Agency (Aman) Monday, 26 February

Essential Reading:

Second half of Virginia Lee Barnes and Janice Boddy, 1994. Aman: The Story of a Somali Girl (RT)

Lecture 11: Atlantic Trade Period Thursday, 1 March

Watch Shackles of Memory: The Atlantic Slave Trade. Contributors: Michel Moreau & Jean Marc Masseaut

Available on Rutgers streaming video.

Lecture 12: Female Gender Roles Monday, 5 March

Essential Reading:

“Introduction” to Part VIII: Sex and Gender Studies in Africa: Economy and Society (POA)

Judith Van Allen, “Sitting on a Man” (POA)

Lecture 13: Male Gender Roles Thursday, 8 March

Daniel J. Smith. 2008. Intimacy, infidelity, and masculinity in southeastern Nigeria. In Intimacies: Love and Sex Across Cultures. W.R. Jankowiak, ed. Pp. 224-244. New York: Columbia University Press.

Spring Recess: 10-18 March

Lecture 14: Homosexuality & Homophobia Monday, 19 March

Essential Reading:

E. E. Evans-Pritchard (1970) Sexual inversion among the Azande. American Anthropologist 72(6): 1428-1434.

Ebebezer Obadare “Africa's imaginary Gay crisis” The Guardian (Nigeria) 29 June 2011

Watch in class: Woubi Cheri (1998)

Lecture 15: , Ethnicity & Tradition Thursday, 22 March

Essential Reading (tbc):

“Introduction” to Part II, From Tribe to Ethnicity (POA)

Lee Cronk. ‘From Hunters to Herders’

Lecture 16: Colonial Era Monday, 26 March

Essential Reading (tbc):

“Introduction” to Part IX Europe In Africa: Colonization (POA)

Watch in class: "This Magnificent African Cake" (2-383)

Lecture 17: Postcolonial Era Thursday, 29 March

Third Reading Response Due

Essential Reading: “Introduction” in Part XII Development, Governance, and Globalization (POA)

Bayart, “The State in Africa: The Politics of the Belly” (POA)

Lecture 18: Development Monday, 2 April

Essential Reading: Peter Uvin, “Development Aid and Structural Violence: The Case of Rwanda” (POA)

Lecture 19: Corruption Thursday, 5 April

Essential Reading:

Daniel Jordan Smith, “Nigerian Scams as Political Critique: Globalization, Inequality, and 419” (POA)

Watch in class: “Africa: Living with Corruption” (Directed by Elizabeth Jones, 2008. 52 min).

Lecture 20: Conflict & Violence Monday, 9 April

Fourth Reading Response Due

Essential Reading:

“Introduction” in Part XI Violent Transformations: Conflict and Displacement (POA)

Richards, “Fighting for the Rainforest” (POA) 7

Christopher C. Taylor, “Sacrifice as Terror: The Rwandan Genocide of 1994” (POA)

Watch in Class: “My Neighbor, My Killer” (directed by Ann Aghion, 2009)

Lecture 21: Ritual Thursday, 12 April

Essential Reading :

Victor Turner. 1969. ‘Liminality & Communitas’. In The Ritual Process: Structure and Anti- Structure. Ithaca, New York: Cornell University Press.

Lecture 22: Health & Healing Monday, 16 April

Essential Reading:

Leclerc-Madlala, “Virginity Testing: Managing Sexuality in a Maturing HIV/AIDS Epidemic” (POA)

Lecture 23: Africans in Diaspora Thursday, 19 April

Essential Reading:

E. Akyeampong (2000) “Africans in the diaspora: the diaspora of Africans.” African Affairs 99: 183- 216.

Lecture 24: African Film Monday, 23 April

Essential Reading (tbc):

Watch in class: selections from contemporary African films.

Lecture 25: African Popular Music Thursday, 26 April

Essential Reading:

“Introduction” to Part VII: Arts, Aesthetics, and Heritage (POA)

Kelly Askew, “As Plato Duly Warned: Music, Politics, and Social Change in Coastal East Africa” (POA)

Listen in class: selections from African pop.

Exam Review Monday, 30 April

EXAM

Likely Date: Thursday, 3 May