LATINAMERICAANDTHECARIBBEANINAFRICA:SOUTH-SOUTHINTERACTIONSAFA5xxx

Instructor:Dr.OkeziT.OtovoPhone:305348-6274Email:ootovo@fiu.eduOffice:LC110

COURSEDESCRIPTION&OBJECTIVES

ThisinterdisciplinarycourseanalyzesthedynamictransnationalrelationshipsthathaveunfoldedacrosstheSouthAtlanticbetweenLatinAmericaandtheCaribbeanandSub-SaharanAfrica.Ourgoalistounderstandthemyriadwaysindividuals,groups,andnationshaveengagedeachotheracrosstheAtlanticovertimewithoutpresumingthatEuropeancountriesortheUSwerenecessarilythemediatorofsuchinteractions.Chronologically,wemovefromthemid19thcenturyinthewaningdecadesoftheTrans-AtlanticslavetradetointerrogatetheinteractionsandrelationshipsformedbetweenAfro-descendantsonbothsidesoftheocean.Wewillpaycarefulattentiontoreturneecommunitiesandthemulti-directionalcrossingsofpeoples,cultures,andgoodsattheturnofthe20thcentury.Aswemoveintotheearlytomid1900s,ourfocuswillshifttopolitical,cultural,andintellectualmovementssuchasNegritude,Pan-Africanism,andtheindependencemovementsinWestAfricaandtheirconsequences.Similarly,wewillinterrogatetheforeignrelationspolicies,internationalcooperation,andmilitaryinterventionsofnationssuchasCubaandBrazilintheprocessofdecolonizationandthecontextoftheColdWar.Bythecloseofthe20thcentury,wefollowtheemergenceofthe“South-Southrelations”frameworkanditsrelationtodiverseinternationalmovementssuchasmemorypoliticsandhumanrights.Thecourseconcludeswithanevaluationofcontemporarysocio-cultural,economicandgeopoliticalrelationsbetweenLatinAmerica,theCaribbeanandSub-SaharanAfrica.Alongtheway,thecourseutilizesdiasporaandpostcolonialtheorytoanalyzethesecomplexhistoricalandcontemporarylinkages.

STUDENTLEARNINGOUTCOMES

§ TraceSouth-Southrelationsfromthe19thcenturyaswellastheemergenceofnewformsofunequalinternationalrelations.MajortopicsincludeBrazil,LusophoneAfrica,andthepoliticsofreturnees.

§ AnalyzethetransnationalcomplexitiesofindependenceandpostcolonialityinSub-SaharanAfrica.MajortopicsincludeNegritude,Pan-Africanism,andPostcolonialtheoryaswellasdecolonialization,theColdWar,andCubaninterventionsinAfrica.

§ Assesscontemporaryeconomicsouth-southcooperation,includingmajortopicssuchaspoliticalandsocialmovementslikethememoryofslaveryandnewframeworksofforeignandtraderelations.

CourseExpectationsThiscourseisagraduate-levelseminarwhichmeansthatitrequiresinformedandextensivestudentparticipationinourweeklydiscussions.Everystudentisexpectedtocometoclasshaving

completedtheassignedreadingandpreparedtoengageinarigorousdiscussion.Thisclasswillbegradedlargelyonyourparticipation.Forthisreason,youmaynotmissanysessions.

WewillusetheDiscussionBoardfeatureofBlackboardtofacilitateclassdiscussions[fiu.blackboard.com].Eachweek,studentsarerequiredtopostaresponsetotheassignedreadingbyThursdayat2:00pm.Yourresponseshouldinclude2questionsfordiscussionataminimum.Youmayalsopostacomment,critique,anissuefordiscussion,orareflectiononthereading.Iwillprinttheseresponsesandbringthemtoclasstoguideourdiscussionoftheweeklyassignedreading.Pleasetakenotethatthediscussionquestionsareagradedassignment,sotakethemseriously.Individualreflection(priortoourgroupconversation)isanintegralaspectofboostingyouranalyticalskillsandthusanimportantmeansthatIusetogaugeprogressoverthesemester.Thinkaboutraisingprovocative,significant,orcriticalquestionsaboutthereadingandtheauthors’theoriesorapproaches.Thinkaboutproposingissuesthatwillexpandourunderstandingofthetheoriesandtherelationshipbetweentheoryandhistory.Toaddyourresponse,openthecorrespondingdiscussion“forum”and“createathread.”Youmayalso“reply”tootherstudents’comments.Iencourageyoutoreadandthinkaboutyourcolleagues’postsbeforeclassasawaytopreparefordiscussion.Blackboardwillallowyouto“collect”andthen“print”thethreadsonadiscussionboardwhichIalsoencourage.

Bringyourbooksora(paperorelectronic)copyoftheassignedarticlestoclassduringthecorrespondingdiscussion.

AssignmentsandEvaluationParticipation:30%BlackboardDiscussionQuestions:20%TwoReviewEssays:50%

RequiredBooks

KwameEssien,Brazilian-AfricanDiasporainGhana:TheTabom,Slavery,DissonanceofMemory,Identity,andLocatingHome(MichiganStateUniversityPress,2016)

JerryDávila,HotelTrópico:BrazilandtheChallengeofAfricanDecolonization,1950–1980(DukeUniversityPress,2010).

SolimarOtero,Afro-CubanDiasporasintheAtlanticWorld(UniversityofRochester,2013).

PieroGleijeses,VisionsofFreedom:Havana,Washington,Pretoria,andtheStruggleforSouthernAfrica,1976-1991(UNCPress,2013)

LisaLowe,TheIntimaciesofFourContinents(DukeUniversityPress,2015)

VéroniqueHélénon,FrenchCaribbeansinAfrica:DiasporicConnectionsandColonialAdministration,1880-1939(Palgrave,2011)

ChristopherJ.Lee,FrantzFanon:TowardaRevolutionaryHumanism(OhioUniversityPress,2015).

GaryWilder,FreedomTime:Negritude,Decolonization,andtheFutureoftheWorld(DukeUniversityPress,2015).

SamuelMoyne,TheLastUtopia:HumanRightsinHistory(HarvardBelknap,2010).

RequiredArticles

KimButler,“DefiningDiaspora,RefiningaDiscourse,”Diaspora:AJournalofTransnationalStudies10,2(January2001):189-219.

ColinPalmer,“TheAfricanDiaspora.”TheBlackScholar.30,no.3-4,(Fall2000):56-60.

KevinYelvington,“TheAnthropologyofAfro-LatinAmericaandtheCaribbean:DiasporicDimensions.”AnnualReviewofAnthropologyVol.30(2000)227-260.

ToddShepard,“Algeria,France,Mexico,UNESCO:atransnationalhistoryofantiracismanddecolonization,1932–196,”JournalofGlobalHistory6(2011):273–297.

RichardM.Shain,“RootsinReverse:Cubanismoin20thCenturySenegaleseMusic.”InternationalJournalofAfricanHistoricalStudies.35,I(2002):83-101

BobW.White,“CongoleseRumbaandOtherCosmopolitanisms.”Cahiersd’EtudesAfricaines.62:4(2002)663-86.

LisaLindsay,“'ToReturntotheBosomoftheirFatherland':BrazilianImmigrantsinNineteenthCenturyLagos,”SlaveryandAbolition15(1994):22-50.

LisaLindsay,“BrazilianWomeninLagos,1879-1882,”inObiomaNnaemekaandChimaJ.Korieh(eds.),ShapingourStruggles:NigerianWomeninHistory,CultureandSocialChange(Trenton,JN:AfricaWorldPress),129-140.

AnaLuciaAraujo,“PierreFatumbiVerger:NegotiatingConnectionsBetweenBrazilandtheBightofBenin,”Luso-BrazilianReview50,no.1,(2013):113–139.

“TheMultipolarMoment?LatinAmericaandtheGlobalSouth-MiddlePowers:IBSAandtheNewSouth-SouthCooperation.”NACLAreportontheAmericas.40,no.5(2007):28-33.