As I've mentioned before, its quite a hike from my house to the University--the whole walk is uphill. This posed a big problem for my newly broken foot. My program arranged for a driver to take me to and from classes. I think I look pretty stylish with my moon boot and crutches while riding in an old, blue VW van.
I'm enrolled in four classes, but only two professors showed up today. The two classes were "Poverty, Development, and Globalization" and "Medical Anthropology." They were both pretty cool, but I have to drop one of the classes I'm taking (I'm enrolled in too many) so we'll see how the other two work out next week. I'll post my final classes when I figure them out.
My classes seem to have a lot of international students, but I did meet one South African who told me that he's obsessed with American politics. The conversation took a weird turn when he compared white South Africans with African Americans--not a comparison I would make. He told me that both are trying to make inroads in the mainstream culture and politics; he went on to say that African Americans are doing really well in this area. Examples of this include Beyonce Knowles, Chris Rock, and Barack Obama as the best America has to offer. I thought it was surprising to hear the three of them grouped together! I didn't agree with much this guy had to say, but it was definitely interesting to hear how he views American politics and culture.
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Interesting conversation about American politics! The thing about it is, though, that just because African Americans are visible in mainstream culture, doesn't mean that they are equal or have power. One might say that the number of African American athletes points to racial progress. But couldn't it be the case that that kind of visibility reinscribes notions about the "noble savage" and "black physicality"?
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