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Culture

How to Write about Africa's Past
ONLINE: A Zoom invitation link will be sent one day before each class session begins.

There may be few – or no – documents. Maybe there are oral traditions, maybe some archaeological remains, some clues from linguistics, and the texts of an historian’s interviews. In 1966, David William Cohen began what is now a six-decade-long effort to reconstruct the past of one district of Uganda, Busoga, located at the spot where the waters of Lake Victoria flow into the White Nile. Two figures from the 19^th century, Tibulya and her purported brother Lufu are, in important ways, helping Dr. Cohen complete a book of writings on Busoga’s past. In this presentation we will look back through this curious collaboration. David William Cohen is Emeritus Professor of Anthropology and History at the University of Michigan. His writings on Busoga include The Historical Tradition of Uganda (1972), Womunafu’s Bunafu (1977), and Towards a Reconstructed Past (1986). His 1966-1972 research in Uganda is the subject of an edited volume, Enkaana, published in 2022.

Show Description
Fee: $15.00
Instructor(s): David William Cohen
Dates: 10/11/2023 - 10/11/2023

Times: 1:00 PM - 3:00 PM
Sessions: 1

Days: W
Building: Online Course

Room: Online via Zoom

On the Danube: From Budapest to Amsterdam
HYBRID: In the classroom and online. A Zoom link will be sent to all one day before class.

Travelling through the heart of Europe by way of its Danube, Main, and Rhine River arteries is an education in cultural anatomy. This 2016 river cruise starts with proud and beautiful Budapest. Not far upstream lies romantic Vienna, displaying elegant architecture and one of the world’s richest musical heritages. The journey passes through a dozen historic settings, replete with legends and charm, such as the abbey at Melk and cities like Regensburg, Koblenz and Cologne, and includes a stop to explore authentic Dutch windmills at Kinderdijk. At the northern end of this journey is vibrant Amsterdam, the city of canals, flowers, and the art of Rembrandt and Van Gogh. George Jabol received his B.A. degree from Muskingum College in Ohio, and a Ph.D. in English language and literature from the University of Michigan. Fully retired now from a career with the federal government, George creates photographic slide shows as a way to remember his travels and share them with others.

Show Description
Fee: $15.00
Instructor(s): George Jabol
Dates: 10/19/2023 - 10/19/2023

Times: 1:00 PM - 3:30 PM
Sessions: 1

Days: Th
Building: Hybrid: In-Person and Online

Room: Vineyard Cafe and Zoom

The National Storytelling Festival
ONLINE: A Zoom invitation link will be sent one day before each class session begins.

The engaging delivery of a well-polished story is a folk tradition in much of the world. It is a skill preserved longest in areas most isolated from mass entertainment. One such area is southern Appalachia, so when the first national festival was created in 1973, an appropriate location was the town of Jonesborough, Tennessee. This attractive small town is the oldest in Tennessee, and was the intended capital of the almost-state of Franklin. From a modest beginning, the festival has grown to become America’s largest and most highly-regarded storytelling event. Audiences of over 10,000 show up for the annual three-day gathering in October. They move freely between five or six circus tents, choosing from a variety of performers. In the two sessions of this class, we will enjoy video samplings of some of the festival favorites from recent years. John A. Stewart is a retired software developer with degrees in biology from the University of Michigan. Encouraged by a friend who has attended several times, he agreed to take in the 50^th annual festival in 2022 and soon after, decided he wanted to return for the 51^st this year.

Show Description
Fee: $30.00
Instructor(s): John A. Stewart
Dates: 11/13/2023 - 11/20/2023

Times: 10:00 AM - 12:00 PM
Sessions: 2

Days: M
Building: Online Course

Room: Online via Zoom

Tribesmen and Citizens: Differences and Consequences
ONLINE: A Zoom invitation link will be sent one day before class begins.

The tensions and conflicts of today’s world underscore the critical need to understand the differences between societies organized on the basis of tribalism (informal networks of kin relations) and societies organized around a notion of citizenship based on a system of law and legal institutions. The failure to appreciate this distinction has led to multiple missteps in foreign policy, and continuing turmoil and suffering. Michael challenges us to consider the current political moment in our own society as one revealing a possible erosion of the rule of law and emergence of behavioral patterns more characteristic of tribal societies. Michael Fahy holds a Ph.D. degree in anthropology from the University of Michigan and currently teaches in the University’s School of Education. He is an anthropologist of the Middle East, where he lived and pursued research for several years. Since 2004 Michael has offered presentations on Middle Eastern history and culture to American military personnel across the United States and Europe.

Show Description
Fee: $15.00
Instructor(s): Michael Fahy
Dates: 11/14/2023 - 11/14/2023

Times: 1:00 PM - 3:00 PM
Sessions: 1

Days: Tu
Building: Online Course

Room: Online via Zoom

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