African 129: Food and Global Africa (FIG)

This course asks what food tells us about the creative cultures of Africa and its diaspora. We will map the links between crops, cuisine, and cultural life, by examining a wide array of expressive arts, including novels, films, music, sculpture, and paintings. We study these materials to understand how food production and consumption tie together much of the cultural zone that social historians have famously labeled “the Black Atlantic.” Our goal is to reconsider our relationship with food and to appreciate how human creativity is spurred by agriculture broadly, and even by particular dishes. Along the way, we will learn about the deep inequalities that mark food distribution from and to Africa and the Americas.