ANG 4354 ANTHROPOLOGY OF MODERN AFRICA
Tues. 8, Thurs.8, 9 periods
2346 Turlington
Section #6289
Credits: 3
Dr. Anita Spring
451 Grinter Hall
Office Hrs: Tues. 12-1:00PM, Thurs. 12-2:00 PM
and by appointment, 392-7201 (x 308)
aspring@ufl.edu
springanita@yahoo.com for attachments
This course studies African cultures, focusing on rural and urban societies in the
modern period in terms of contemporary problems and trends. The course covers the
following topics:
 Conceptions and misconceptions about Africa;
 Classification schemes old and new (geographic, Africanity, civilizations; triple
heritage);
 Kinship and family;
 Rural and urban economies;
 Environment and natural resource management;
 Gender issues, women in development;
 Religious and philosophical systems;
 Ethnic conflict and the new states;
 Bureaucracies and corruption;
 Refugees, human rights
 South Africa: end of apartheid and contemporary problems
 Health, sexuality, HIV/AIDS;
 Entrepreneurship and business
To benefit from this course, it is necessary that students become fully involved in it. The
course will be taught using multimedia techniques, lectures, audiovisual materials, and
student participation. The reading assignments are an integral part of the course and
should be completed before coming to class.
Requirements:
(1) Participation, map quiz, and good spirits (10%)
(2) Paper assignment #1 on kinship and family (30%)
*(3) Paper assignment #2 on health, economics and politics (30%)
changed to a take home exam)
(4) Final exam—take home (30%)
(*this may be
Required Books (book available at Goerings Bookstore; Reader available from
Custom Copies)
1. Reader: Part 1 articles; Part 2 workbook (maps, newspaper articles, etc.)
2. Silberschmidt, "Women Forget that Men are the Masters:" Gender Antagonism and
Socio-economic Change
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UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA POLICIES
Honesty. As a result of completing the registration form at the University of Florida, every student has
signed the following statement: "I understand that the University of Florida expects its students to be honest
in all their academic work. I agree to adhere to this commitment to academic honesty and understand that
my failure to comply with this commitment may result in disciplinary action up to and including expulsion
from the University."
Accommodation for students with disabilities. Students requesting classroom accommodation must first
register with the Dean of Students Office. The Dean of Students Office will provide documentation to the
student who must then provide this documentation to the Instructor when requesting accommodation.
UF Counseling Service. Resources are available on-campus for students having personal problems or
lacking clear career and academic goals that interfere with their academic performance. These resources
include:
1. University Counseling Center, 301 Peabody Hall, 392-1575, personal and career counseling;
2. Student Mental Health, Student Health Care Center, 392-1171, personal counseling;
3. Sexual Assault Recovery Services (SARS), Student Health Care Center, 392-1161, sexual counseling;
4. Career Resource Center, Reitz Union, 392-1601, career development assistance and counseling.
Software Use. All faculty, staff, and students of the University are required and expected to obey the laws
and legal agreements governing software use. Failure to do so can lead to monetary damages and/or
criminal penalties for the individual violator. Because such violations are also against University policies
and rules, disciplinary action will be taken as appropriate.
COURSE OUTLINE BY TOPIC
Reader = Part 1; Workbook = Part 2
Weeks 1&2 INTRODUCTION; MYTHS AND STEREOTYPES
Jan. 7-16
CLASSIFICATION SCHEMES: AFRICANITY, CIVILIZATIONS
OF AFRICA
Reader: Keim: Africans live in tribes, don’t they? R1.1
Maquet: The Contents of Africanity” R1.2 and “Civilization of Cities” R1.3
Peil and Oyeneye: “Cities” R1.4
Workbook: Maps (1-12) and Multimedia Lecture 1
Video: “Africa’s Technology Highway”
Multimedia presentations
Week 3
Jan. 21-23
THE TRIPLE HERITAGE, GEOGRAPHY OF THE CONTINENT
Reader: Nyang’oro: “Africa’s Environmental Problems” R2.1
Workbook: Multimedia Lectures 2-4
Week 4
Jan 28-30
ENVIRONMENT AND NATURAL RESOURCES, RURAL
ECONOMIES; AGRICULTURE AND FOOD SECURITY
Map Quiz: Jan. 28
Slides: Zambia, Malawi, Ethiopia, and Kenya
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Reader:Dorm-Adzobu & Ampadu-Agyeu: “Reflection on Gender in
Natural… R2.2
Huss-Ashmore: Perspectives on the African Food Crisis, R3.1
Picard: “Listening to and Learning from African Women Farmers, R3.2
Spring: “Ag. Commercialization and Women Farmers in Kenya” R3.3
Whyte: “The Social and Cultural Contexts of Food Production” R5.2
Workbook: Maps 10; News Articles D1, 13
Week 5
Feb. 4-6
KINSHIP, FAMILY AND AGING
Film: Two Families
Reader: Edwards: “Morality & Change: Family Unity and Parental
Authority” R5.1
Cattell: “The Discourse of Neglect: Family Support for the Elderly” R5.3
Hakansson and LeVine: “Gender and Life Course…”R5.5
Workbook: Multimedia materials 5; News articles C8,
Week 6
Feb. 11-13
GENDER ISSUES
Slides: Gender Issues in Agriculture--Malawi and Ethiopia
Reader: Gordon: “Women’s Responses to Capitalist Development” R6.1
Ogden: “Producing Respect, Proper Woman in … Kampala” R6.2
Morell: “The Times of Change: Men and Masculinity…” R9.3
Silberschmidt, "Women Forget that Men are the Masters…"chapter s 1-3
Workbook: C1-8
Week 7
Feb. 18-20
MARRIAGE , BRIDEWEALTH, GENDER ROLES
Reading: Silberschmidt, "Women Forget that Men are the Masters:"
Gender Antagonism and Socio-economic Change, chapters 4-8
Paper #1 due Feb. 25 at the beginning of class
Week 8
Feb. 25-27
EDUCATION, YOUTH, SEXUALITY
Reader: Peil and Oyeneye: “Education” R4.4
Komba-Malekela and Liljestrom: “Looking for Men” R6.3
Workbook: News Articles B3, 5; C1-2; D10
Week 9
Mar. 4-6
HEALTH (POPULATION, HIV/AIDS), NUTRITION
Reader: Gordon: Population Urbanization and AIDS, R7.1
McFadden: Sex, Sexuality and the Problem of AIDS in Africa, R7.2
du Guerny: “AIDS and Agriculture” and “Can Agricultural Policy make a
Difference” R7.3
du Guerny:”HIV/AIDS and Nutrition: Helping Families…” R7.4
Workbook: News Articles on Malaria and HIV/AIDS C7; D1-13
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Week 10
Mar.18-20
RELIGIOUS AND PHILOSOPHICAL SYSTEMS
Slides: Luvale Puberty Ceremonies
Reader: Moyo: Religion in Africa” R4.1
Ntukula: The Initiation Rite” R4.2
Masquelier: Identity, Alterity and Ambiguity…the True Islam” R4.3
Workbook: Multimedia Lectures 6-8; News Articles D7; E1, 2, 4, 14
Week 11 BUREAUCRACIES, LEADERSHIP, ETHNICITY
Mar. 25-27 Reader: Selections from Global Studies Ottaway: Africa’s new leaders”
and Samatar: ”Warlord Games” R8.1
Mbaku: “Institutions and Reform in Africa” R8.3
Eames: “Navigating Nigerian Bureaucracies” R8.2
Peil and Oyeneye: “Differentiation” R5.6
Blewett and Farley: “Institutional Constraints in Kenya’s Music
Industry” R10.4
Workbook: News Articles Politics and the Economy E3, 5-10
Paper #2 or take home midterm, due April 1 at the beginning of class
Week 12
April 1-3
CONFLICT, REFUGEES, HUMAN RIGHTS, SLAVERY
Multimedia presentation (Weak States)
Videos: “Flame,” “Forced Exile”
Reader: Bakker and Zetter: “Refugee and Labour Movements in SubSaharan Africa: A Review” R 8.4
Workbook: Articles on Human Rights and Slavery (B1-5)
Multimedia Lecture 9
Week 13
April 8-10
SOUTH AFRICA: END OF APARTHEID AND CONTEMPORARY
PROBLEMS
Video: The Deadline
Multimedia presentations
Reader: Furlong: “South Africa” R9.1
Bratton: “After Mandela's Miracle in South Africa” R9.2
Workbook: News Articles on South Africa A1-9
Week 14/15 ENTREPRENEURSHIP, BUSINESS AND GLOBALIZATION
April 15-22 Multimedia presentation
Reader: Spring and McDade: ”Entrepreneurship in Africa:
Traditional and Contemporary Paradigms” R10.1
MacGaffey: “Creatively Coping with Crisis …in Zaire (DRC)”
R10.2
Ukaegbu: “Managers and Their Entrepreneurs … in Nigeria” R10.3.
Spring: “Gender and the Range of Entrepreneurial Strategies…” R10.5
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Take Home Exam due on or before April 30, 2003 at 4:30 in my mailbox in the
Anthropology Office, 1112 Turlington. Please ask one of the secretaries to certify the
day and time.
Note: “et all” (as written in the reader) is an incorrect way to cite authors. Moyo et al. is
correct citation for 3 or more authors. However all authors must be listed in the
references/bibliography. If there are two authors, list both authors in the text and
bibliography. For example: Peil and Oyeneye (2000); Spring and Mcdade (1998); or
Blewett and Farley (1998).
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