NEW YORK UNIVERSITY
DEPARTMENT OF HISTORY
MAP-UA 505
CULTURES AND CONTEXTS:
AFRICAN HISTORY through AFRICAN LITERATURE
Spring 2015
Professor Michael Gomez
Office: King Juan Carlos I Center 503
Office Hours: Tuesdays, 5:00-7:00pm, or by appt.
Office Phone: 212-998-8624 michael.gomez@nyu.edu
BOOKS FOR PURCHASE
Chinua Achebe, Things Fall Apart
Ama Ata Aidoo, Changes, A Love Story
Elechi Amadi, The Concubine
Mariama Ba, So Long A Letter
Maryse Conde, Segu
Philip Curtin, et al, African History (reference only)
Tsitsi Dangarembga, Nervous Conditions
Assia Djebar, Women of Algiers in Their Apartments (replaces Alifa Rifaat, Distant View of a Minaret )
Buchi Emecheta, The Joys of Motherhood
The Kebra Negast (under the title, The Queen of Sheba and Her Only Son Menyelek )
Zakes Mda, Ways of Dying
Djibril Niane, Sundiata: Epic of Old Mali
**Ngugi Wa Thiong’o, Weep Not, Child (not available at NYU bookstore)
OVERVIEW
This course will introduce students to the history of Africa by means of the literature of the continent. While it cannot substitute for a formal study of the history of Africa, it will nonetheless acquaint students with the major issues and questions relating to Africa’s development from early to contemporary times, spanning the whole of the continent. Questions concerning the relationship of the production of literature to centers of power, the meaning of literature in societies espousing orality, the problems of sustaining both content and intent upon the conversion of oral literature into written form, the specific and at times parochial uses of

literature, the interplay of gender and voice, the politics of translation into European modalities, and assorted other queries will all be examined regionally and over time. Throughout the course, students will be assigned standard historical readings to provide the necessary context. Weekly lectures on the historical context will establish continuity and a framework for understanding not just the literary text, but the particular historical period within which the text is embedded. As one result, students should find encouragement to continue the study of Africa. All readings should be prepared prior to class.
Grade Criteria
Response Papers
Final Exam
- 60% of final grade
- 20% of final grade
Attendance/Participation - 20% of final grade
Response papers are to be 3pp in length (double-spaced, normal font) and argumentative.
Assignments will be issued every two or three weeks, and will be graded on an A-F scale. All assignments must be completed to pass the course.
Policies
Recording and Transcription: Audio-taping and other methods of mechanized recording are not permitted unless authorized by the professor.
Late Work: Any work submitted after the due date will suffer the loss of one whole grade. Late work will not be accepted once the Final Exam Period begins .
Probity: Violations of academic probity will meet with a response in conformity with official university policy. See attached addenda on academic guidelines and integrity.
Objectives: as a result of completing History V55.0505, each student will have
- demonstrated a familiarity with African historical development from antiquity to modern times.
- conveyed a fundamental comprehension of the relationship of literature to the study of history.
- critically read literary texts.
- successfully written analytical response papers.
NYU Classes
Please regularly consult NYU Classes for syllabi, addenda, assignments, and all information pertinent to the course.
Schedule
Lectures meet Tuesdays and Thursdays, 11am-12:15pm, in XYZ

Recitation Preceptors, Meeting Times, and Locations (all meet on Wednesdays) :
002 W 9:30-10:45am (194M 209)
003 W 11:00-12:15pm (SILV 518)
004 W 3:30-4:45pm (SILV 401)
005 W 4:55-6:10pm (WAVE 366)
006 W 9:30-10:45am (48CS 120)
007 W 11-12:15pm (SILV 621)
Lecture Schedule
Jan 27 and 29
Main Text
Preliminaries
The Kebra Negast
Feb 3 and 5
Main Text
Contextual Reading
Documentary:
Feb 10 and 12
Main Text
Contextual Reading
Feb 17 and 19
Main Text
Contextual Reading
African Antiquities: Ethiopia
The Kebra Negast
Curtin, African History , 1-42, 54-56, 98-100, 141-143, 148-151
"The Holy Land" (Sept 16)
Nascent West Africa and the Griot Tradition
Djibril Niane,
Curtin,
Sundiata: An Epic of Old Mali
African History , 66-97
Timelessness in West Africa?
Elechi Amadi,
Curtin,
The Concubine
African History , 155-160, 194-200, 200-211
Feb 24 and 26
Main Text
Contextual Reading
March 3 and 5
Main Text
Contextual Reading
March 10 and 12
Main Text
Contextual Reading
March 16-22
Slave Trades and Holy Wars
Maryse Conde,
Curtin,
Segu
African History , 182-194, 211-212
Slave Trades and Holy Wars (cont.)
Conde,
Curtin,
Segu
African History , 171-180, 325-331, 343-351
Dawn of Colonialism in West Africa
Chinua Achebe, Things Fall Apart
Curtin, African History , 398-420
Spring Recess

March 24 and 26
Main Text
Contextual Reading
March 31 and April 2
Main Text
Contextual Reading
April 7 and 9
Main Text
Contextual Reading
April 14 and 16
Main Text
Contextual Reading
April 21 and 23
Main Text
Contextual Reading
April 28 and 30
Main Text
Contextual Reading
May 5 and 7
Main Text
Contextual Reading
May 11
May 12
May 13-19
Colonial Repercussions at Home and Abroad
Buchi Emecheta, The Joys of Motherhood
Curtin, African History , 423-437
Gendered Experiences in Southern Africa
Tsitsi Dangarembga, Nervous Conditions
Curtin, African History , 446-489
The Struggle Against Colonialism in East Africa
Ngugi Wa Thiong’o, Weep Not, Child
Curtin, African History , 513-529
Change in South Africa
Zakes Mda, Ways of Dying
Curtin, African History , 253-266, 437-440
Women and Religion in the Central Islamic Lands
Djebar, Women of Algiers (or Alifa Rifaat, Distant View of a
Minaret )
Curtin, African History , 297-324, 440-443
Gender and Religion in Muslim West Africa
Mariama Ba, So Long a Letter
TBA
Complications in Contemporary Society
Aidoo, Changes, A Love Story
TBA
Last Day of Classes
Reading Day
Final Exams Week