OSL Seminar: ‘Africa Beyond “Africa”‘

Amsterdam | 4,11, and 18 October and 1 November 2022 (OMHP E2.01, 15:00-18:00) + 8 and 15 November 2022 (OMHP E0.13, 15:00-18:00).

Organizers: Prof. Margriet van der Waal (University of Groningen) and Dr. Astrid Van Weyenberg (Leiden University)

Open to: PhDs and RMA students; OSL members have first access.

Credits: 5ECs. NB: Credits can only be awarded to humanities ReMA and PhD students from Dutch universities.

Registration will open on August 31st, 2022

Although political, sociological, ethnographical or anthropological perspectives from, on and about Africa are frequently examined and discussed, African artistic domains remain relatively underexposed in the Netherlands. This is remarkable, especially when taking into account that African artistic practices are booming – both at home and around the world. In this course, we will problematize a number of assumptions about Africa and explore how contemporary African literature and film invite us to imagine and rethink Africa as part of the world and the location of the future. The seminar is not meant to represent a general overview of African literature and film, but aims to explore a number of topical issues with regard to contemporary literary and cultural production from and about Africa. We will apply an interdisciplinary perspective, drawing on the knowledge and expertise from different academic fields working on the topic of African literature and film.

The full programme will be available soon.