African Cultural Studies 202: Africa on Display

How do you represent a diverse continent of a billion people and 54 countries in just a few rooms in a museum? Can you? And why would you want to?

In this course students will learn about the history of putting “Africa on display both on the continent and abroad, especially in the former colonial powers of Europe and in the United States. Students will question why Europeans began displaying objects from across the world, and why this practice continues today. They will also learn about museums and art spaces across the African continent — what does it mean to “Africanize the very European idea of a museum? We will also move beyond the walls of the museum to learn about biennials, independent artist-run spaces, and even how cities themselves are turned into exhibition spaces. Finally, we will address present issues around decolonizing museums, and the restitution and repatriation of objects from former colonies.