Museums (395-0-2)

Topic

Pan-African Art and Culture

Instructors

Antawan I Byrd

Meeting Info

Kresge 4354 Art Hist. Sem. Rm.: Tues 2:00PM - 4:50PM

Overview of class

Pan-Africanism, a concept first theorized during the late nineteenth century, has been widely understood as a political movement claiming solidarity and freedom for African and African diasporic peoples around the world. What are the cultural dimensions of Pan-Africanism's drive for self-determination, civil rights, and political emancipation? What forms and formats have been important vectors for the circulation of Pan-African idea(l)s? How might we differentiate Pan-Africanism from related concepts such as Afrocentrism, Afropolitanism, Black Internationalism, and Worldmaking? In this course, we will analyze histories of art and aesthetic practices from the early 20th century to the present that are informed by or give shape to Pan-Africanist thought, including state-sponsored cultural festivals, paradigmatic artist collectives and art movements, transnational institutions, forms of vernacular and popular culture, as well as individual artistic practices. Students will engage seminal museum exhibitions that have examined the intertwining of African and African diasporic politics and culture and will gain insight into the planning of a forthcoming survey exhibition on Pan-Africanism slated to open at the Art Institute of Chicago in December 2024. This seminar will include visits to Northwestern's Herskovits Library of African Studies and the Art Institute of Chicago.

Class Materials (Required)

Course readings will be available on Canvas.

Class Attributes

Literature & Fine Arts Distro Area