Assignment
African Perspectives on Slavery and Freedom: Movie and Text Review (1000 words) 6 Intro: This unit looks at African perspectives of "slavery" and "freedom" through primary sources, African film, and documentaries. It shows why historians have called for other scholars and students to understand slavery as a phenomenon shaped by time and place-whether the murkiness of categories such as "slave" and "free" or African bonds-peoples' contributions to economic, political, and cultural life in Atlantic and Indian Ocean worlds. In particular, the unit asks you to set your assumptions about slavery and its opposite (freedom or autonomy) aside in order to understand these terms' ironic histories from the experiences of enslaved Africans and their descendants.
Prompt: How have primary and secondary sources from this unit challenged the way your approach histories of enslavement from you own upbringing? Your answer need not take on everything in the unit. For example, you may choose to emphasize the limits of the slave/free dichotomy for understanding texts like Bakari's "Of Slavery" and the movie, "Adanggaman," or you may choose to look at Africans' contributions to the Atlantic world. Regardless of your choice, all papers must show an understanding of slavery's variations over time and place to receive a C or above. The movie, "Adanggaman," provides clear examples of slavery's changing and nature, and therefore, each paper must situate it correctly in historical context.
The response should include a reference list. Double-space, using Times New Roman 12 pnt font, one-inch margins, and APA style of writing and citations.