African Art & Oxford Archives

Course starts Wednesday 24 February 2027

This is an in-person course which requires your attendance at the weekly meetings in Oxford on Wednesdays, 2.00-4.00pm.

Week 1: Introduction to African Art in Oxford

Week 2: From Africa to Oxford: How Collections are Made 

Week 3: Women Artists and the Making of the Archive

Week 4: The Ivory Debate: Ethics, Conservation, and Museums

Week 5: Who Owns African Art? Restitution and Repatriation

Please note: students will have to arrange their own transport for the field trip, and cover the cost of any entry fees.

Course aims

Course aim: This course aims to provide an overview of African art and archival collections in Oxford, exploring how African objects entered museums and archives through systems of exchange, colonialism, missionary activity, and collecting practices. It will examine the histories, meanings, and contemporary significance of African art within museum and archival contexts.

Course objectives: 

The course will enable participants to critically assess the histories of African art collections and the ethical questions surrounding museums, archives, and repatriation. Through engagement with objects, archival materials, and case studies, participants will develop skills in visual and archival analysis while engaging with key scholarly debates in African art history and museum studies.

By the end of the course, participants will have had the opportunity to gain an understanding of current research and contemporary discussions surrounding African art, archives, and postcolonial museum practice.

Learning outcomes

By the end of the course, participants will be able to:

• Identify and compare the diverse histories of African art, collecting practices, and archival preservation within Oxford’s museums and collections.
• Critically evaluate the role of museums and archives in shaping knowledge about African art and culture.
• Analyse the historical contexts of colonial collecting, gift exchange, and missionary activity, and assess their legacies in current debates about restitution and ownership.
• Reflect on the ethical questions surrounding the display, custody, and repatriation of African objects and sensitive archival materials.
• Evaluate the strengths and limitations of visual, material, and archival sources as evidence for the study of African art history.

Level and demands

The Department’s Weekly Classes are taught at first year undergraduate level.

Teaching methods

This course consists of five in-person classes combining tutor-led introductions, presentations, object-based learning, and group discussion. Teaching will draw on museum collections, archival materials, visual analysis, and contemporary scholarship, with an emphasis on student participation and critical engagement. At the end of each week, students will receive tutor-prepared reading and guidance materials introducing the themes and case studies for the following session.

The course is research-led throughout and participants will engage with both digitised and non-digitised archival materials, museum objects, and recent scholarship in African art history, museum studies, and postcolonial studies. Contemporary debates surrounding collecting, ethics, and repatriation will form a central part of class discussion.

Several sessions will involve close engagement with collections and curators from the Pitt Rivers Museum and other Oxford archives and museums.

Assessment methods

This course is not accredited, so there are no assessments or coursework.

Dr Alison Bennett

Ali is a Departmental Lecturer in Global Art History at Oxford Lifelong Learning. Her research focuses on the interconnections between material culture, art and the history of the British empire, particularly in eastern Africa. She is currently working on a project on the history of the global ivory trade. 

Dr Stacey Kennedy

Stacey is a Departmental Tutor in Art History at Oxford Lifelong Learning. Her research centres on African Art History, modern/contemporary art, and the “unsettling” of ethnographic archives. Her work includes investigating Women’s agency in the African Contemporary Art World and Nigerian art networks.

Digital badge

Upon successful completion of this course, you will be issued with an official digital badge from the Department for Continuing Education, University of Oxford. In order to be issued with your badge, you will need to have attended at least 80% of the course.

After the course, you will receive an email with a link and instructions on how to download your digital badge. You will be able to add this badge to your email signature and share it on social media if you choose to do so.

Fees

Funding

If you are in receipt of a UK state benefit, or are a care-leaver in the UK, you may be eligible for a reduction of 50% of tuition fees. Please see the below link for full details:
Concessionary fees for short courses

Recommended reading

Recommended reading is optional and you are not required to purchase these books to study this course.

Library facilities

All weekly class students may become borrowing members of the Rewley House Library, part of the Bodleian Libraries, for the duration of their course. Prospective students whose courses have not yet started are also welcome to use the Library for reference.

• More information about the Library can be found on the Bodleian Libraries website. 
• This guide for Weekly Class students also provides further information.

Preparatory reading

• African Art: Close Up / Chris Spring
• Lost Kingdoms of Africa / Gus Casely-Hayford
• African Art Now / Osei Bonsu
• The History of African Art / Suzanne Preston Blier

Recommended Reading List

Module code: O26P467ARW

How to enrol

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