INQ-277 | African Cultural History Through Film

Crosslisted As: HIST277

Topic Description:

Most courses on African history rely on a relatively narrow set of sources to analyze the past. Indeed, Africa’s academic historians write within parameters of style and content that are followed by other members of the discipline. Historians generally place a strong emphasis on interpreting government documents, minutes of meetings, and other official records that are valued for their inherent ‘truth’. Yet, many people on the African continent use other mediums to talk about, debate, and articulate their pasts. Like conventional historians, creative writers, filmmakers, and artists use their work to think historically and to raise poignant questions about the relationship between the past and present. In this course, we will work with some of these creative works to think about the cultural history of twentieth century Africa. By critically reading novels and films, the course will pursue new ways of evaluating African history. We will consider the following questions: How do novels and films permit new types of historical analysis? In what ways do these sources of history deliver larger historical insights into issues including colonialism, the formation of independent states, economic underdevelopment, and globalization? In addition to reading a secondary text on African history, students will critically interpret novels and films about Africa. These materials will allow students to develop a unique perspective on African cultural history in a comparative fashion.

Course Types Offered: On-Campus

Topic Approved: April 2014