This course is an introduction to archival research in the arts through the history of cultural encounters between Irish and African peoples in the Americas. This history, termed the “The Black and Green Atlantic,” arises from African enslavement and Irish indentured servitude and has been described as both cooperative and conflicted over the past four centuries. The course examines parallel narratives of oppression and resistance among Irish and African communities specifically through dance, music, and festival practices in the United States, the Caribbean, and Latin America. Students learn processes of building both tangible and intangible (or embodied) archives through directed readings, experiential movement sessions, methodology workshops, and individual archival research projects related to this complex history.
The course fulfills general education requirements for Humanities and Understanding Plural Societies.
Taught by Dr. Kate Spanos, Tuesdays 3-5:30 p.m., 0223 Tawes Hall.
