MUS 45.07 Afropop!
How have African musicians created lively fusions of precolonial and western genres (including jazz, soul, and hip hop)? How have African musicians negotiated independence, democratization, and postcoloniality through their musical expressions? How have they used music to forge links with Africans in other nations and a broader African diaspora? And how have African popular musics, and the musicians themselves, circulated in local and global contexts? In this course, we investigate a range of popular musics from the African continent, focusing in particular on music from Western and Southern Africa. Students will be introduced to diverse genres, from highlife to chimurenga to kwaito, and the methodological approaches of ethnomusicology. Each case study fits into four broad course themes: music and political dissent; music and diaspora; African music and the “World Music” industry; music and youth culture. Texts, performances, media, and in-class workshops all form an integral part of this course.
Instructor
Inglese
Cross Listed Courses
AAAS 87.10