Wed, we'll watch this video clip: http://video.google.com
And start working through this sheet:
http://philosophy302.blogspot
Here's an extra credit event Thursday:
The Department of Art at Spelman College presents
"The World Before Racism "
a lecture by
Dr. Lisa Farrington
Art historian, curator, author, educator and
2007-2008 Cosby Endowed Professor in Humanities
November 8, 2007, 6:30 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.
Cosby Auditorium
the Camille Cosby Academic Center, Spelman College
This lecture is free and open to the public
For more information, contact
(404) 270-5455 or mdouglas@spelman.edu mdouglas@spelman.edu
More about the "The World Before Racism"
When did racism begin? Has the well-worn antagonism between black and white always existed in some form or another? Have Africans and their progeny in the Diaspora always been at odds with, or victimized by, western cultural forces? Or is this dichotomy a relatively new phenomenon? Conventional historical texts don't readily address this subject. Or they avoid it, for example, by glossing over Moorish (African Muslim) supremacy in Southern Europe, which lasted some 800 years, by terming the period the "Dark Ages"; and by focusing on the activities of Northern Europe during this time.
While it is possible to write and rewrite history with each new age and its sociopolitical hegemony--that is, to put a spin on historic events so as to portray westerners in the most flattering light--it is not so simple a matter to alter history when you use primary source documents as your touchstones, such as original writings and works of fine art and architecture.
These documents have not been historically altered; and they offer a very different history of Africans in the West than the one most of us have access to. Such documents tell us that the ancient world was without race hatred; that the Greeks believed Africans to be their betters; that the Medieval Catholic popes looked to African Christians for aid and financial rescue during the crusades; that 10th and 11th century Germans glorified an African saint above all others. To know true history, one must examine the art works and documents produced during each age--which are the truest expression of a culture, untainted and unfiltered by modern prejudices. This lecture will take the audience through this revealing history and offer a fresh and optimistic look at the human condition.
