HIST 292(S) Africans in Europe: Slaves, Abolitionists, Artists, Intellectuals and Migrants in the Modern Era (Same as Africana Studies 292)
This class offers an overview of the African presence in and influence on European politics and culture since their appearance as slaves in the sixteenth century. Despite such inauspicious beginnings, Africans played an important role in the abolitionist movements in England and France in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries and challenged European imperialism in Africa at the end of the century. During the twentieth century, pan-africanism, Négritude, decolonization and the non-aligned movement developed in Europe's major capitals, where African and African-American artists and musicians interacted in novel ways to put Europe on the forefront of developments in modern art, literature, jazz and world music. Since World War II, widespread immigration of Africans-particularly North Africans and West Indians of African descent-to Europe has deeply changed the character of European societies. From Hottentot Venus to Josephine Baker, from Mary Prince to Ayaan Hirsi Ali, this course will use the writings of intellectuals and leaders like Senghor, Fanon, and C.L.R. James-as well as film, music, and literature-to explore the ways in which Africans have transformed Europe in the modern era.
Format: lecture/discussion. Evaluation will be based on informed class participation, a midterm exam, a final exam, and a research paper.
No prerequisites. No enrollment limit (expected: 20-30). Open to all.
Groups A and C
Hour: SINGHAM