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CS92PROD
Engendering the African Diaspora (FGSS Gateway)

HIST 273
Spring 2009
Section: 01  
Crosslisting: AFAM 272, FGSS 271, AMST 284
Course Cluster: African Studies

This course examines African and African diaspora history from the fifteenth century to the present, using gender as a central theme and method of analysis. After reviewing theories of the African diaspora and incorporating a gendered analysis, we look at the Atlantic slave trade as a complex multi-directional force involving Africa, Europe, and the Americas. Second, we explore the creation of diasporic cultures in Africa, Europe, and the Americas, recognizing that African women and men and their descendants have moved in an Atlantic world by force and by choice over the centuries. Finally, we examine the intellectual work of activists, writers, and ordinary women and men on both sides of the Atlantic who have debated the politics, artistic expression, and identit(ies) of African diaspora communities. Gender, femininity, and masculinity are crucial themes in these various movements. Reading assignments include a range of primary documents, scholarly articles, literature, and films. This course illustrates that an African diaspora did not form ¿naturally¿ as a result of the trans-Atlantic slave trade. Socioeconomic forces, cultural production, and intellectual critique in Africa, the Americas, and Europe created and altered the meaning of African diasporas over time.

Essential Capabilities: Intercultural Literacy
The course materials allow students to examine the cultures and societies in Africa, the Americas, and Europe through a variety of sources.
Credit: 1 Gen Ed Area Dept: SBS HIST
Course Format: LectureGrading Mode: Graded
Level: UGRD Prerequisites: None
Fulfills a Major Requirement for: (AMST)(FGSS)(STS)
Past Enrollment Probability: Not Available

Last Updated on MAR-29-2024
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