AfroFuturistic Aesthetics: Rethinking Blackness in the Lusophone World
In this course we will examine the theoretical science fiction framework to understand the history and the legacies of colonialism in Brazil, Angola, and Mozambique. Within an interdisciplinary approach, students will examine works of speculative fiction, science fiction, and futurism(s) from Africa (Angola and Mozambique) and the African diaspora (Brazil and US). We will study music, film, literature, and visual arts that communicate the concerns, experiences, and longings of black people in these countries. Some of the topics that will be studied include slavery and emancipation, decolonization, the making of the Third World, pan-Africanism, and neo-slavery. Intersections of identity, race, class, gender, and technology will be considered as well. At the end of the course, students will be able to recognize key themes, representations, and leitmotifs in black speculative literary works. (PGSE 0215 or by approval)