ANTH 385 - Africans in Asia: Agency, Entanglements, Accommodations

Semester Offered: Fall
1 unit(s)

(Same as AFRS 385) This Intensive contributes to studies of black diasporas by centering the historical and contemporary involvement of Africans in Asia and the ways in which Afro-Asian cultures, economies, and traditions have developed in Northern and Eastern Africa. Among topics/issues we address are: ways in which Africans have experienced and influenced different parts of Asia, including the Middle East, Persia, South Asia, and China; how encounters with Asians have influenced African cultures and ways of life; how systems of servitude, including slavery and indenture in the East, can be distinguished from Transatlantic enslavement; how Africans interacted historically with Asians as traders, servants, political figures, artisans, military personnel, ordinary peoples, and in some cases, governors. Expanding the diversity and complexity of our questions about African diasporas, students draw on historical texts, ethnography, fiction, film, and other media to inform their studies of African diasporans east and north of the continent. As we explore topics, the Intensive simultaneously challenges easy understandings of region, place, and culture. Candice Lowe Swift.

One 2-hour period.

Course Format: CLS