Africana Studies 241WA - Topics in Africana Studies: 'West African Women in Their Own Words'

This course challenges students to consider how and why, following Ralph-Michel Trouillot, certain voices get "silenced" in the historical record. We study how women have both shaped history and been subject to its forces, though often in unexpected ways. This course is unique because we learn about women in 18th, 19th and 20th century West Africa through their own words. Students will encounter more than a dozen real and fictional African women: mighty queens, snide co-wives, shrewd traders, ingenious slaves, brilliant writers, and fierce activists. Engaging with their stories in multiple formats; students will study graphic novels, fiction, and memoir, in addition to academic works.