ANTH326 Peoples and Cultures of Sub-Saharan

Africa

Meeting 3, September 24, 2007

•Toward critical thinking

•Consensus opinion from African studies

Factoids again

•Empowerment

–OLPC

•Portal

•History

•Bantu Languages

Wikipedia of Africa

• More Than 1000 Articles

–77. Afrikaans: af (8281) (IE)

–89. Swahili: sw (5982) (Bantu)

–101. Yoruba: yo (4072) (Benue Congo)

–113. Amharic: am (2989) (Semitic)

In African languages

•147. Lingala: ln (808) (Bantu)

•152. Wolof: wo (444) (Atlantic)

•154. Igbo: ig (418) (Benue Congo)

•170. Malagasy: mg (291) (Malayo Polynesian)

•172. Somali: so (288) (Cushitic)

•176. Kongo: kg (270) (Bantu)

Less than 1000 articles

Less Than 200 Articles

•188. Oromo: om (184) (Cushitic)

•189. Tigrinya: ti (177) (Semitic)

•191. Ewe: ee (175) (Kwa/Gbe)

•198. Bambara: bm (138) (Mande)

•203. Zulu: zu (107) (Bantu)

•Particularism/Universalism

–Anthropology

•Fluidity

–Lack fixed boundaries

–Contacts

–Negotiate identity

African Specificity

•Alternative to votes

•Democracy

•Negotiation

•Argument

•Debate

•«Arbre à palabres» (“Talking Tree”)

“Consensus culture”

•Ecological concept

•Central/Eastern/Southern (more than North/West)

•Peaceful influence more than invasion

•Intermarriage

Symbiosis

•Agriculturalists/foragers

•State/bands

•Widespread religions, local belief systems

Coexistence

•Settlements

•Surplus

•Population

•City

•State

•Hierarchy

Intensification

•Similar to archeology

•Dark Continent

•Remnants

Older African studies

•Sculptures

•Architecture

•Textiles

•Languages

•Social structure

Identifiable "cultures"

•Iron age as if stage

•Civilization (Game)

–Linear evolution (Tech Tree)

–Prerequisites

–Compete

Technological Evolutionism

Lamphear/Falola

•Kingdoms/empires

•Forced confederacies

•Loose organisation

History of states

•Small groups

–Not necessarily connected identity

•Nomadic groups

–Pastoralists (herders)

Non-State

•Nilotes (Nilo-Saharan)

•Cushitic-speaking (Nilo-Saharan)

•Bantu-speakers (Niger-Congo)

•Mande speakers (Niger-Congo)

•San/Khoisan ("click")

•Sudanic languages (outdated classification)

Large cultural groups

•Afro-Asiatic (including Semitic languages)

•Khoisan (including “click” languages)

•Niger-Congo (including Bantu languages)

•Nilo-Saharan (including Songhay, Maasai, Kanuri)

Language families

•Ease borrow language

•Trade languages

•Speech communities

•Not inter-communication

Language families as cultures?

•Next two weeks

•Age-Sets

•Age-Grades

•Lineages

•Queen Mother

•Artisans

Social Structure

•Cosmopolitan networks

•Urban life

•Local

•"Ethnic"

•Schools (Koranic, Missionary, National)

Associations

•Initiation societies

•Muslim brotherhoods (sufism)

–Tijaniyya

•Freemasons

Secret societies

•Environment

•Crops

–Cash crops

–Food crops (subsistence farming)

•Intercontinental contacts

Geography

Gellar

•Industrial revolution

•Capitalism

•Invasion

Scramble

•Amadou Hampaté Bâ

•Colonials not seeing power

–Even recent

•Experience abroad

Colonial Experience

•Colonial past

•Fanon's critique

•Hegemony

•Egalitarian because Post-Colonial structures?

–Solway and Lee

Anthropology's Critique of Colonialism

•Created or reinforced by colonials

•Region

•Trade language

•Community of experience

•Spurious?

Defining groups