Critical Social Inquiry 0214 - People Without History

Too often 'Western' historical narratives consider Africans and African Diasporans as 'People Without History'. Such a notion also refers to people who possess few or no formally written histories. Employing historical archaeology, this class examines the material traces individuals and communities in the past left behind as important, alternative historical resources for interrogating the European colonial library, and re-writing the histories of slavery and the slave trade. Excavating the "hidden histories" of Africans and African diasporans, free and enslaved, our aim is to insert the voices of those marginalized, silenced and erased. This course focuses on the major themes and questions in the historical archaeology of the Africana experience, on both sides of the Atlantic, in Africa and the Diaspora. Throughout this course we will adopt an interpretive approach that draws upon the use of 'words and things' (objects, texts and oral narratives), exploring the connections and influences between Atlantic Africa and the Diaspora.

Power, Community and Social Justice Independent Work Multiple Cultural Perspectives Writing and Research Students are expected to spend at least six to eight hours a week of preparation and work outside of class time.