Rhythm and Resistance

This course will investigate the crucial cultural and political contributions of the African Diaspora in the formation of the contemporary Americas through an analysis of the rhythms they have produced in different national settings. We will use these rhythms as a guide to understand the peoples, places and conditions under which they were created and sustained. Through classroom discussion and historical and music-analysis students will understand the relationship of these rhythms to larger issues like nationalism, migration, colonialism, globalization, the politics of sexuality, gender and race and to understand the different meanings and practices of resistance.