90450 - China In Africa

Learning outcomes

Combining the fields of migration studies and labor studies, the course introduces the students to social issues connected with the Chinese presence in Africa and African presence in China. At the end of the course the students will be able to understand and critically analyze the strategies and agency of the different actors. As a large part of the course will rely on visual tools, the students will also acquire the ability to critically analyze visual documents.

Course contents

Chinese in Africa and Africans in China

The relationship between China and African countries is at the center of heated debates with Chinese investments, infrastructure construction, job creation and raw material appropriation in Africa often portrayed in binary terms: China is either pitched as a predator and the new imperialist power in Africa, or else celebrated as a friend offering to the African counterpart a ‘win-win cooperation’. This takes place against a global background where scholars and pundits alike are increasingly forced to take a stand as non-partisan analysis is in vertical decline and views on China have rapidly polarized.

Making also use of images and videos, the course will offer a nuanced discussion of the many facets of the Chinese presence in Africa. At the same time, the course will delve into the action of African states, and agency enacted by African elites and the populace in relation to the Chinese presence and activism on the continent.

The Chinese presence in Africa is not analyzed in isolation but is discussed in the framework of the “global China” phenomenon, visible in China's increasing outward flows of investment, loans, migrants, infrastructure, media and international engagement.

Besides, the course also offers an introduction to visual sociology as a tool that enables the students to elaborate sociological interpretations of the visual materials proposed by the instructor.

TOPICS

1. RACIALIZATION AND INTERSECTIONALITY IN AFRICA-CHINA ENCOUNTERS

2. CHINA IN AFRICA

3 CHINESE SOFT POWER

4. CHINESE AND AFRICAN LABOR IN AFRICA

5. THE GOLD RUSH IN GHANA

6. CHINA AS A MODEL FOR AFRICA

7. THE AFRICAN PERSPECTIVE

8. DEVELOPMENT, AID AND THE REPRODUCTION OF DEPENDENCY

9, AFRICANS IN CHINA

GUEST LECTURERS

Elisa Gambino, London School of Economics, UK

Valentina Fusari, University of Torino, Italy

Mariasole Pepa, University of Padova, Italy

Other guest lecturers may be invited

Readings/Bibliography

Articles can be accessed via username and password on IOL- Educational material (https://iol.unibo.it).

Videos will be available on dropbox.

Teaching methods

Lectures and discussions in class, including watching and discussing images and videos. Students are strongly encouraged to present in class.

Assessment methods

Students attending classwork will

1. make presentations to the class and stimulate the classroom discussion on one or more papers included in the readings list and other papers agreed with the instructor;
2. write a final paper (3000 words, including references) - agreed with the instructor - on one of the topics addressed in class. A topic not included in the readings list – and the relevant bibliography- can be agreed with the instructor. Student initiative in articulating themes, connecting different texts and visual materials, proposing videoclips or other visual products linked to the topic of the course will be positively evaluated.

The paper should be in MS Word (.docx). Only articles, books and documentary films discussed in the paper can be included in the references. References should be made in the text, for instance (Ceccagno 2022), not in the footnotes. Papers not meeting these criteria, will be sent back and will have to be resubmitted.

Students not attending classwork will take an oral exam on the readings and the videos of the course. Questions will aim at testing the student ability to critically address the proposed issues and build an argument with an appropriate language.

For both students attending and not attending classes, the assessment will take into consideration:

1. Proper knowledge of the subjects
2. Ability to critically analyze and connect concepts, images, and themes
3. Competences in the use of appropriate terminology

Teaching tools

Readings are complemented with videos and images. Three guest lecturers have been invited, others may be invited.

Office hours

See the website of Antonella Ceccagno