Today, a number of scholars often ponder whether African American culture would have been more exuberant if a majority of Africans had journeyed to the New World on their own accord. Similarly, some postulate that were it not for the hideous conditions that Africans faced during their forced migration to the New World as slaves, themes of perseverance, persistence, resilience, and even salvation would not be ever-so-present in African American literary and artist works? Moreover, would America be the birthplace of such widely known music styles, classic and social dances, and dramatic stories of over-coming oppression were it not for slave-ocracy? Though these inquiries may never be fully verified, we can, however, investigate the development and plight of African American culture as a distinct culture within the greater context of American society. To achieve such understanding, this monographic course uses the performing arts to contextualize the complexities of African American Identity, and to reveal important aspects of its significance to American Studies. Why the performing arts? It is well known that examining artistic creations of any culture can help to reveal ideologies, religious beliefs, social behavior, to name some, which thus can give a fuller impression of its level of civilization. Artistic creativity, particularly music and dance, are currently the longest-running modes of expression among African Americans that began during the African Diaspora in America. Therefore, it is through the performing arts and their relevance to American society that students will be able to explore and gain an ameliorative understanding of the complexity of African American identity. The course is divided into six time periods: 1) Slavery to the Civil War; 2) Post Civil War through WWI; 3) Post WWI through WWII; 4) Post WWII through 1960s; 5) 1970s through 1990s; and 6) Twenty-first century. In each of these students will learn about African American contributions to American society by learning about their music, dance, and dramatic works’ creations and experiences. This approach will further allow students to draw some conclusions about America’s social, cultural, economic, and political landscape beginning in the early 17th century.
- Teacher: Stan Breckenridge