Ithaca College

Phillips Stevens, Jr. from the Department of Anthropology at the University at Buffalo, will deliver a lecture on poorly recognized aspects of the colonial legacy in Africa. The talk is titled, "Magical Literacy, the Easy Life, and Expedient Christianity: Some Poorly Recognized Aspects of the Colonial Legacy in Africa."

Professor Stevens' talk will be held Thursday, April 10, at 7:00 p.m. in Textor 103.

The first Europeans represented to Africans a powerfully alluring image: they did no work, but they enjoyed great luxury, and were generally young, healthy, and vigorous. Africans quickly found two keys to the European lifestyle: literacy -- a new and powerful way to control words -- and Christianity, a panacea for many ills.

These early impressions had important implications for post-independence African behavior. Professor Stevens examines some of the false assumptions made by colonial government administrators and missionaries, and suggests some surprising reasons for many of today's horrendous problems, including endemic corruption, appalling selfishness, and evil flying witches.

Phillips Stevens, Jr., Ph.D., is associate professor and director of undergraduate studies in the Department of Anthropology at the University at Buffalo. He has conducted anthropological field work in West Africa and the Caribbean on numerous occasions, and is the author of many publications in cultural anthropology and African studies.