Syllabus
Lecture topics
1. Brief context of Namibian and Tanzanian colonial history (the establishment of German South West Africa and German East Africa, colonial policy, Herero Wars, Maji Maji Rebellion, the collapse of the colonies and consequences).
2. Ethnological and ethnographical overview of Namibian and Tanzanian indigenous population in a diachronic and synchronic perspective (the culture of local tribes – Nama, Ovambo, Herero, San, Himba, Maasai, Hadzabe, Sukuma).
3. Introduction into Namibian and Tanzanian languages (basic phonetic, morphological and syntactic specifics of Nama, Herero, Ovambo, Afrikaans, Swahili, Maasai).
4. Multilingualism in Namibia and Tanzania during the colonial time – challenges and solutions (colonial language policy, differences between the two colonies, German and British language policy in comparative perspective).
5. Missionary work in the territory of Namibia and Tanzania from the beginning of 19th century until today (the role of the Rhenish Missionary Society and London Missionary Society, the missionaries’ attitude to the local languages and culture from a philosophical point of view).
6. Christianization with a special focus on Bible translation during the colonial time and beyond (the challenges of delivering Christian concepts to the indigenous population, translation methods and strategies, problems and shifts in the translations into Nama, Herero and Swahili).
7. Language and culture research in the German South West Africa and German East Africa (the process of putting indigenous languages into a written form – handbooks, dictionaries, glossaries, magazines; filling cultural gaps: Christian concepts, European values, abstract words).
8. Language training for Germans and the indigenous population during the colonial time (missionary schools in German South West Africa and German East Africa, the role of the Seminar for Oriental Languages in Berlin, the comparison of the didactic methodologies suggested by the missionaries and colonial officers).
9. Interpreting services in Namibia and Tanzania during the colonial time and the struggle for independence (general status of interpreting in the colonies, types of interpreting: court interpreting, religious interpreting, interpreting in diplomatic settings; working conditions and requirements of interpreters).
10. German and British aspect in Namibia and Tanzania today (perception of German/British language and culture, the motivation and possibilities to learn/study German/English language, local varieties of German and English languages).
11. Globalization X preservation of the national identity in Namibia and Tanzania (the status of translation and interpretation today, current language policy, protection of minor tribal languages and culture, environmental problems in the two countries and their solutions on the inter/national level).
12. Further research possibilities in Namibia and Tanzania (presentation of recommended resources: archives, specialized libraries, African research centres; discussion on possible international cooperation).
Annotation
The aim of the course is to present the complexity of interlingual and intercultural communication using the case of Namibia and Tanzania. Since the history of the two countries was shaped by dynamic contacts of the indigenous and European culture, Namibia and Tanzania represent two examples of highly diverse cultural development, especially in respect to the Colonial period.
The aim of the course is to address the communication from a complex interdisciplinary perspective including history, ethnography, linguistics, politics, African studies, philosophy, culture studies, translation studies and suggest possible methodological approaches to an interdisciplinary research on communication. The content will be delivered by lectures, student presentations and interactive discussions.
Although the course is primarily designed for face-to-face sessions, it can be effectively adopted to the online mode. In the first place, the course is meant for bachelor and master students of the Erasmus+ Programme, however, can be also taken by Czech students.