Economy Technology in Africa

3 Credits · Level: Graduate, Undergraduate

This course examines the relationship between economy and technology in contemporary African countries. To understand the wide variation and divergent economic realities of a region with 54 countries and 42 separate currencies, this course focuses on the institutions, technologies, and policy making that shape economic life on the continent. Throughout the course we examine an interrelated set of questions and topics such as: What kinds of technological innovation underpin economic development in the region? What are everyday experiences of saving, borrowing, and lending in rural vs. urban contexts? How do different economic zones and monetary unions impact circuits of exchange and the movement of goods across the continent? What are the politics of popular demands for domestic and regional currency reform? How are new material and digital infrastructures changing the ways that people access financial services? And what is the role of diaspora communities and remittance technologies in building and sustaining financial flows to and from the continent? The goal of this course is to provide students with a methodological framework for studying questions of economy and technology in Africa from an interdisciplinary perspective and understanding their real-world dimensions. Our course material therefore draws on an interdisciplinary body of scholarship including anthropology, political science, economics, urban planning, and science and technology studies.