Resistance/Reparations in Afr

3 Credits · Level: Graduate, Undergraduate

Resistance and Reparations in Africa: This seminar examines how people in colonial Africa challenged the power and authority of those who sought to govern them, and how people in post-independence Africa have sought to hold those former colonizers accountable. We will focus on three primary case studies: the conquest of the Benin Kingdom, in modern-day Nigeria, and the quest to have Benin’s treasures returned from European and North American museums; the Herero war against Germany, in colonial Namibia, and the demand for reparations; and the Mau Mau war in Kenya and veterans’ search for compensation from Britain. The class will rely on a mix of primary sources, academic historical studies, podcasts, and more. Students will visit the National Museum of African Art (which recently agreed to return their collection of Benin Bronzes), and will do a final research paper on a colonial-era resistance movement or reparations debate of their choosing.