Course Description
Christianity was both ally and adversary to colonialism, threatening African "tradition" and aiding a vocal westernized elite which shaped independent African nations. African initiatives in Christian conversion, colonial Christianity, Africans in mission communities, mission education and westernized elites, independent African religious movements, and Christianity and African nationalism.
Additional Requirements for Graduate Students:
Additional research and/or paper(s) are normally required for graduate level coursework.
Athena Title
CHRISTIA/COL IN AFR
Semester Course Offered
Offered every year.
Grading System
A - F (Traditional)
Course Objectives
This course examines Christianity as both 1) ally and adversary to colonialism, 2) threatening and reinforcing African "tradition," and 3) aiding a vocal westernized elite in the formation of independent African nations. While this course engages many of the macro-level themes—conversion, nationalism, gender, ritual and secular performance, the bulk of this course focuses on the introduction and development of Christianity and colonialism in the West African nation of Nigeria from the 19th—21st centuries. The question that underpins this course is, how has the traditional and the modern been constantly understood and constructed in a specific context? Methodologically speaking, one of the primary goals of the class is to provide students with an intimate experience with interdisciplinary research methods used in the study of African history. With this in mind, the course focuses on how Africans' multifaceted experiences with Christianity and colonialism have been represented in missionary narratives, oral traditions, woodcarvings, theatrical productions, and musical forms. Therefore, video, photography, and other visual materials will be a vital component of this learning environment. Several young scholars who are either natives of West Africa or have undergone research in the region will visit as guest speakers to enhance the students’ understanding of the themes of the course. A principal objective of the course is to teach students to think critically for themselves about the relationships between the past and the present, to learn to ask questions of the past that enable them to understand the present and mold the future, and to become attuned to both the limitations and possibilities of change. The course seeks to acquaint students with the ways in which past societies and peoples have defined the relationships between community and individual needs and goals, and between ethical norms and decision-making. In general students will be expected to: 1. read a wide range of primary and secondary sources critically. 2. polish skills in critical thinking, including the ability to recognize the difference between opinion and evidence, and the ability to evaluate--and support or refute--arguments effectively. 3. write stylistically appropriate and mature papers and essays using processes that include discovering ideas and evidence, organizing that material, and revising, editing, and polishing the finished papers.
Topical Outline
INTRODUCTION Introduction of the class (detailed discussion of the syllabus), the instructor, and students, as well as the course goals WEEK 2: 8/22-8/26 INTRODUCTION (PART II) Lectures on strategies for effective historical writing as well as on the historical background to Christianity and colonialism in Africa and the history of Nigeria WEEK 3: 8/29-9/2 THEMES IN THE STUDY OF AFRICAN RELIGIONS AFRICAN RELIGIOUS PRACTICES AND INSTITUTIONS CHRISTIANITY IN CENTRAL AFRICA CHRISTIANITY IN WEST AFRICA CHRISTIANITY AND NATIONALISM IN WEST AFRICA GENDER REPRESENTATIONS OF CHRISTIANITY AND COLONIALISM IN WEST AFRICAN THEATRE WATER SPIRITS WITCHCRAFT FOR WOMEN, MASKS FOR MEN POSTCOLONIAL ERA What is Pentecostalism? NIGERIAN POPULAR MUSIC AND NATIONALISM: FEMI-KUTI AND FELA’S LEGACY