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| Semester | spring semester 2020 |
| Course frequency | Once only |
| Lecturers | Andrea Kaiser-Grolimund (andrea.kaisergrolimund@unibas.ch, Assessor) |
| Content | In the light of the massive population growth in African cities, this seminar looks at health and illness in the context of urban life. While a great amount of literature on urban Africa emphasizes the rather “unhealthy” development of “out-of-control African slums”, others point to the potential that these urban contexts may have for African urbanites. In many aspects of urban life, health implicitly or explicitly plays a role as it can be seen as resulting from people’s complex interactions with each other and the urban environment. In this seminar, we will interrogate a range of ethnographic texts dealing with health and ill-health in diverse African urban contexts. How has HIV/AIDS shaped gender and sexuality in Kampala? In which ways do herbal “Eastern” medicines influence spiritual and therapeutic trajectories of African urban dwellers? How does externally funded health care shape people’s experience in the NGO-city of Kisumu? How are configurations of power reflected in Pentecostal practices in Abuja? In the course of the seminar, we will address such questions and engage in theoretical reflections about “urban health”. Some of the case studies will be presented by guest lecturers with perspectives from anthropology, epidemiology and public health. |
| Learning objectives | -A critical understanding of a medical anthropology perspective on urban health -An overview of past and ongoing research in the field of urban health in African cities -Ability to read and critically evaluate academic texts |
| Bibliography | An extensive list of the relevant literature will be distributed at the beginning of the semester. Dilger, H. & Hadolt, B. (2010). Medizin im Kontext. Lang. Harpham, T. (2010). Urban health in Africa. Lit. Obrist, B. (2006). Struggling for health in the city. Peter Lang. |
| Comments | The course will be held in English. |
| 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 |
|---|
No dates available. Please contact the lecturer.
| Modules |
Modul: Fields: Public Health and Social Life (Master's degree program: African Studies) Modul: Sachthemen 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) Module: Projects and Processes of Urbanization (Master's degree program: Critical Urbanisms) Vertiefungsmodul Global Europe: Global Ageing and Health (Master's Studies: European Global Studies) |
| Assessment format | continuous assessment |
| Assessment details | Active participation, weekly readings and discussion of key texts. Oral and written inputs based on diverse case studies in relation to health and illness in African cities. If you would like to write a seminar paper in this course, please contact Andrea Kaiser-Grolimund before the beginning of the semester (andrea.kaisergrolimund@unibas.ch). |
| 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 |