SOCI 402/422 Societies and Cultures of Africa

Defining Africans and tracing their origin; The African environment and diversity and similarities of its people; Worldviews of Africans; Religious belief systems: the supernatural, witchcraft, sorcery, magic, etc.; Cultural norms, values and practices; Marriage practices, family, lineage and clan systems, kinship and descents; Land tenure systems and modes of economic production, distribution and exchange; Traditional political institutions; Law, religion and social control in African societies; European contact: impact of mercantilism, evangelism, slavery and colonialism on African peoples and cultures; Nationalism and independence; Westernization and domination of Africa and Africa’s adaptations and responses. Illustrations of African societies and cultures from specific case studies of selected groups/societies in Eastern, Western, Northern, and Southern African regions.