Medicine, Religion and Politics in Africa and the African Diaspora
This MIT OpenCourseWare course examines how colonial and postcolonial encounters between Afro-Atlantic religious traditions and western bio-medicine have shaped ideas about illness, healing, and the body. Readings and discussions cover how African and diasporic healing systems challenge western notions of rationality, morality, kinship, gender, and sexuality, and how global health interventions in Africa and the diaspora can reinforce colonial or imperial power dynamics. The course draws on anthropology, history, and gender studies, using case studies from Africa, the Caribbean, and the Americas to trace how spiritual and medical authority have intersected across different periods. Materials include a syllabus, weekly reading lists, and discussion questions, all freely available through MIT OpenCourseWare with no certificate offered. It suits students interested in medical anthropology, religion, and the politics of health in the African world and its diaspora.