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| Semester | fall semester 2018 |
| Course frequency | Once only |
| Lecturers | Lesley Nicole Braun (lesleynicole.braun@unibas.ch, Assessor) |
| Content | African popular cultural production and popular arts is sometimes likened to a ‘hydra’ (Barber 1987)—an apt metaphor not only because of the epic proportions of cultural creation in contemporary Africa, but also because of it’s many faces, or in this case, many heads. Since popular cultural forms are often implicated in commercial networks of production and distribution, they call attention to important structural processes such as globalization, commodification, and the operation of hegemony on different levels. The study of popular culture gives us an entry point into perspectives about how personal identities are constructed and experienced within these larger global contexts. Popular culture also has the potential of brining us closer to the political implications of the work that we do as scholars or observers of foreign cultures with histories of domination and exploitation. Throughout this seminar we will consider different forms of expression that highlight the link between popular culture and politics—a link especially pronounced in Africa, where for many people, popular culture is the only means of political expression within their grasp. This seminar considers popular music, dance, photography, film, fashion, cellphones, and the internet, to discuss theoretical issues such as: capitalism and the economy, mimesis, modernity and hybrid identities, colonialism, global connection, gender, class, and resistance. |
| Learning objectives | Expose students to some of the continent’s cultural production within the context of youth culture and globalization Enable students to rethink the dominant themes and image of Africa as a continent of conflict, disease, and exotica Learn to connect examples of ethnographic fieldwork with the key theoretical contributions in the field of anthropology Enable students to better understand the value of the technological economy of globalization which drives the circulation of modern culture. |
| Bibliography | Die Literatur wird auf ADAM zur Verfügung gestellt. |
| Admission requirements | The number of participants is limited to 30 people. The places are assigned according to date of enrollment and subject of study. Priority will be given to the subjects listed under "Modules". |
| Language of instruction | English |
| Use of digital media | No specific media used |
| Interval | Weekday | Time | Room |
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No dates available. Please contact the lecturer.
| Modules |
Modul: Fields: Media and Imagination (Master's degree program: African Studies) Modul: Forschungsfelder der Ethnologie (Bachelor's degree subject: Anthropology) Modul: Theory and General Anthropology (Master's degree subject: Anthropology) Modul: Wissenschaftliche Vertiefung in der Ethnologie: Sachthemen (Bachelor's degree subject: Anthropology) |
| Assessment format | continuous assessment |
| Assessment registration/deregistration | Reg.: course registration; dereg.: not required |
| Repeat examination | no repeat examination |
| Scale | Pass / Fail |
| Repeated registration | no repetition |
| Responsible faculty | Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, studadmin-philhist@unibas.ch |
| Offered by | Fachbereich Ethnologie |