African Studies Center

University of Pennsylvania

SCHOLAR FOR A DAY

Scholars:  AboutThe Scholar for a Day is a day-long seminar, organized by Penn graduate students of all disciplines, designed to provide students and faculty with exposure to a leading scholar in African Studies. The event allows for intensive engagement with authors of significant theoretical approaches to Africanist scholarship as well as providing an opportunity to gain insight into the professional process--the evolution of new empirical and theoretical interests, the methodologies of research and writing, and the process of collaboration between scholars. |2012 | 2011 | 2009 | 2008 | 2007 | 2006 | 2005 | 2004 | 2003 | 2002 | 2001 | 2000 | 1999 | 1998 | 1997 | 1996 | 1994


2000 Scholar: PROF. KARIN BARBER
University of Birmingham, England
Friday, March 31, 2000
Veranda Room 3615 Locust Walk


Karin Barber Image

Event Schedule:

9:30 Opening Remarks:
Introduction by Professor Tukufu Zuberi, Director of the African Studies Center

10:00 – 11:15 AM
Panel I: "Interpretation of Oral Texts" Chair: Prof. Anne Bailey, Department of History, University of Pennsylvania

Discussants:
Tonya Taylor, Departments of Anthropology and Graduate Program in Folklore & Folklife
David Samper, Graduate Program in Folklore & Folklife

Suggested Readings:
"I Could Speak Until Tomorrow: Oriki, Women and the Past in a Yoruba Town." Edinburgh University Press for the International African Institute. 1991.
"Interpreting oriki as history and as literature," in Discourse and its Disguises, ed. Barber and Moraes Farias, 1989 (13-23).
"Yoruba Oriki and deconstructive criticism," Research in African Literatures, 15, 4, 1984. (497-518).
"Preliminary notes on audiences in Africa" in Africa 67(3):347-362 (1997)
"Discursive strategies in the texts of Ifa and in the 'Holy Book of Odu' of the African Church of Orunmila." In Self-Assertion and Brokerage, 1990, ed. P.F. de Moraes Farias and Karin Barber. Birmingham: Birmingham University African Studies Series 2, Centre of West African Studies, pp. 196-240.

11:15 – 11:30 Break

11:30-12:45 PM
Panel II: "Popular Culture" Chair: Prof. Dan Ben-Amos, Department of Folklore & Folklife, University of Pennsylvania

Discussants:
Cati Coe, Graduate Program in Folklore & Folklife
Wendi Haugh, Department of Anthropology

Suggested Readings:
"Popular Arts in Africa" in African Studies Review 30(3):1-78 (1987) plus several commentaries and her response "Preliminary notes on audiences in Africa" in Africa 67(3):347-362 (1997)
"Readings in African Popular Culture"(1997) "Introduction" (1-12) "Popular Reactions to the Petro-Naira" (91-98; orig. 1982)
"West African Popular Theater" (1997) "Introduction" (vii-xix) "The Eda Theatre and The Secret is Out" (183-209) "Text of The Secret is Out" (210-276)

12:45 – 2:15 PM: Lunch Gold Standard 36th & Locust Walk

2:15 – 3:30 PM
Panel 3: "Women, Power, Religion in West Africa" Chair: Prof. Sandra Barnes, Department of Anthropology, University of Pennsylvania

Discussants:
Solimar Otero, Graduate Program in Folklore & Folklife -Angela Moore, Department of Anthropology
Rudolph T. Ware, Department of History

Suggested Readings:
Barber, Karin.1981. "How man makes god in West Africa:Yoruba attitudes towards the orisa ." Africa 51, no. 3: 724-745.
Barber, Karin. 1990. "Ormkl, women and the proliferation and merging of orisa ." Africa 60 ( 3): 313-337.
Barber, Karin 1990a. "Discursive strategies in the texts of Ifa and in the 'Holy Book of Odu' of the African Church of Orunmila." In Self-Assertion and Brokerage, ed. P.F. de Moraes Farias and Karin Barber. Birmingham: Birmingham University African Studies Series 2, Centre of West African Studies, pp. 196-240.
Barber, Karin1994. "Polyvocality and the individual talent: three women oriki - singers in Okuku." In The Yoruba Artist, eds. Abiodun, Drewal, and Pemberton. Washington and London:Smithsonian Press.
Barber, Karin 1994a. "Going too far in Okuku: some ideas about gender, excess, and political power."In Gender and Identity in Africa, eds. Reh and Gudrun Ludwar-Ene. Munster/Hamburg.

3:30 – 3:45 PM: Break

3:45 – 5:00 PM
Workshop: "Yoruba-West African Popular Theater" Room: Stiteler Hall B6

Recommended reading:
1994. "Yoruba Popular Theater: Three Plays by the Oyin Adejobi Company." Authored with Bayo Ogundijo. Play "Laniyonu" and Introduction.

During this workshop, we will use the above readings as common basis from which to discuss issues such as problems of textual analysis, translation, how to analyse live, ephemeral performances, and so on by looking at the text and viewing excerpts of videos of the performances.

All of the readings are available at the African Studies Center 647 Williams Hall.

More About: Karin Barber

For inquiries please contact:
Dr.Ali B. Ali-Dinar, Ph.D, aadinar@sas.upenn.edu
(215) 898-6610

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