After the introduction of oil cans by European settlers, South Africans began to incorporate them into their culture in various ways, such as for the body of an electric guitar. (Original photograph by Karen McAllister on flickr. CC BY-NC-SA 2.0)
Instructor(s)
Prof. Clapperton Chakanetsa Mavhunga
MIT Course Number
STS.089
As Taught In
Fall 2014
Level
Undergraduate
Course Description
Course Features
Course Description
What do technology and innovation mean from Africa? This is the central question of this course, which tackles a double absence: Of the meanings and role of technology in African history, on the one hand, and of Africa's place in the global history of technology, on the other. This course alternates between technologies from outside and technologies from within Africa and their itineraries in everyday life, and it is designed to provide students with grounded understandings of technology in Africa for intellectual and action-oriented purposes.