Art & the History of Art 138 - Arts/Orature in Africa

Fall
2019
01
4.00
Rowland Abiodun
MW 12:30PM-01:50PM
Amherst College
ARHA-138-01-1920F
COOP 101
roabiodun@amherst.edu
BLST-313-01,ARHA-138-01

(Offered as BLST 313 [A] and ARHA 138) In the traditionally non-literate societies of Africa, verbal and visual arts constitute two systems of communication. The performance of verbal art and the display of visual art are governed by social and cultural rules. We will examine the epistemological process of understanding cultural symbols, of visualizing narratives, or proverbs, and of verbalizing sculptures or designs. Focusing on the Yoruba people of West Africa, the course will attempt to interpret the language of their verbal and visual arts and their interrelations in terms of cultural cosmologies, artistic performances, and historical changes in perception and meaning. We will explore new perspectives in the critical analysis of African verbal and visual arts, and their interdependence as they support each other through mutual references and allusions.

Fall semester. Professor Abiodun.

Permission is required for interchange registration during the add/drop period only.