Sylabus
The syllabus is in preparation.
Anotace
The course aims to understand the postcolonial situation in (mainly Southern) Africa via a series of detailed historical as well as ethnographic insights into its changing Christian religious musical cultures since the 19th century to the present day.
Along with colonial politics and economy Christianity has been of fundamental and lasting influence on African societies since the 19th century. However, once relatively stable, the imported religious cultures represented by missionary societies from various European countries have soon found themselves being irreversibly transformed by the African converts, acquiring countless forms of religious expression. Music as one of the innermost expressions of culture and an indispensable religious vehicle has played a crucial role in the encounter. Moreover, from an early stage, the emerging religious cultures have become interconnected with other locations of religious music production, above all the United States via the transatlantic routes and flows. The clash as well as melting of different religious musical ideas, practices and sounds played out against the colonial and post-colonial backdrop has often been not only dramatic but also extremely revealing of the complexities of the modern world.
Based on reading texts from various disciplines, listening to and watching the musical performances as well as learning to read and understand the primary sources the course offers an insight into this fascinating historical, cultural and musical transformation.
Students from all subjects and specializations in humanities are welcome. Those from ethno/musicology, anthropology, history, religious and African studies would probably benefit the most, though.