ANTH 3410 - Africa, Music, and Cultural Production

Goals: To acquaint students with instrumental resources and structures in West African music, while simultaneously learning about social life and cultural production in African worlds.

Content: In Africa and African diasporas, music has always been and continues to be a vital form of cultural expression. This course focuses on cultural production and the formation of identities in contemporary Africa, through exploring how African/Black music contributes to the ways in which Africa is represented and consumed in the world. In theoretical terms, the course will query how Africa is produced in the global imagination through performance, but students will also gain practical experience with drum ensemble music. Using indigenous instruments and an African approach to musical training, the class will learn rhythms and songs from West Africa, and also become exposed to African/Black music from other parts of the world.
Taught: Annually.
Prerequisite: ANTH 1160.