East Central Africa (P02616)

? Credit Points : 20 ? SCQF Level : 11 ? Acronym : SPS-P-P02616

From genocide in Rwanda and Sudan, violent armed conflict in the Great Lakes Region and the Horn of Africa, to some of the worst outbreaks of the global pandemic of HIV and AIDS, and to frequent outbreaks of famine and food insecurity, we relate to this region largely through images of disaster and suffering fed to us through the media. In this course, we ask, how can these issues be addressed, without perpetuating the idea that hunger, death and suffering are somehow ‘natural’ in this part of Africa? Can ethnography be mobilised to bring to life the ‘everyday-ness’ of life in the region, without doing disservice to the very real problems that exist? How do the people living in the region reflect on their position in the global economy? Each week in the course we will look at these issues, plus others such as the place of pastoralism, urban life, the nation, and the politics of music, to ask ourselves what anthropology can bring to bear on our understanding of life in East Central Africa.

Entry Requirements

none

Subject Areas

Home subject area

Social Anthropology, (School of Social and Political Studies, Schedule J)

Other subject areas

Politics, (School of Social and Political Studies, Schedule J)

Delivery Information

? Normal year taken : Postgraduate

? Delivery Period : To be arranged/Unknown

? Contact Teaching Time : 2 hour(s) per week for 10 weeks

Summary of Intended Learning Outcomes

At the end of the course, students should have a broad and historically-informed knowledge of contemporary affairs in East Central Africa. They should be able to:
• bring an ethnographic understanding to debate about current issues in the region
• assess critically taken-for-granted representations of East Central Africa
• understand why both urban and pastoral life are been viewed as ‘problematic’
• appreciate why constructions of ethnicity, including those of anthropologists, have led to violent conflict
• understand the contribution that anthropological perspectives have brought to the HIV and AIDS epidemic
• contribute to the debates surrounding the politics and morality of witchcraft, sorcery and spirit possession
• analyse the role of musical performance in nation, resistance, and healing