AVCS20

This course examines the photography of the African continent from the mid-nineteenth century to contemporary times. Since its development, photography has served as a powerful medium to document the social, cultural, political, economic, and environmental landscapes of Africa. Indigenous and foreign photographers have focused their lenses and perceptions on the continent from the precolonial through post-independence eras. This course analyzes these photographs and the complex stories they tell, including ones of implicit bias and racism, colonial or nationalist propaganda, as well as the agency portrayed through narratives of daily life, the vibrancy of African photographic studios, and creative expressions by contemporary artists. Theories of photography, race, and gender are central to the course.