Child Labor in Africa: A Historical Perspective

4 credits · Undergraduate

Child labor in Africa is a complex phenomenon that defies simple analysis or solution. It is claimed that about one third of all children under 14 years of age, are "economically active" This seminar seeks to examine diverse categories of child labor spawned by specific socio-cultural, religious, economic, and political contexts riddled with extreme poverty, and a hostile global environment. Sample topics to be explored include: definitions of childhood and child labor; traditional constructions of children's work; colonialism, globalization and redefinition of children's work; gender and child labor; child abductions, child soldiers; sex slavery; and talibes.