REL 261
Rastafari: Dread, Politics, Agency
Last Offered Fall 2019
Division II
Cross-listed AFR 299 / PSCI 233
This course is not offered in the current catalog

Class Details

The emergence of Rastafari in the twentieth century marked a distinct phase in the theory and practice of political agency. From its heretical roots in Jamaica, Garveyism, Ethiopianism, and Pan-Africanism, Rastafari has evolved from a Caribbean theological movement to an international political actor. This course investigates the political theory of Rastafari in order to develop intellectual resources for theorizing the concept of agency in contemporary Africana thought and political theory. We will analyze texts and audio-visual works on the political economy of late colonial Jamaica, core Rastafari thinking, political theology, the role of reggae music, the notion of agency, and the influence of Rastafari on global politics.
The Class: Format: seminar
Limit: 15
Expected: 12
Class#: 1005
Grading: no pass/fail option, yes fifth course option
Requirements/Evaluation: attendance and participation, weekly reading e-response papers, two short essays, and a 12- to 15- page final paper
Prerequisites: none; open to all
Enrollment Preferences: Africana Studies concentrators and majors in Political Science and Religion
Distributions: Division II
Notes: This course is cross-listed and the prefixes carry the following divisional credit:
REL 261 Division II AFR 299 Division II PSCI 233 Division II
Attributes: AFR Core Electives
AMST Arts in Context Electives
AMST Comp Studies in Race, Ethnicity, Diaspora
AMST Critical and Cultural Theory Electives

Class Grid

Updated 5:33 pm

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