Global Africa

(3 Credit Hours) · Undergraduate

Welcome to Global Africa. This course is an introduction to the history of the peoples of Africa from the late nineteenth century to the present day. We investigate the ways in which Africans shaped and were shaped by the transformative events of the period. At the turn of the twentieth century, European powers conquered and colonized much of the continent. Over the next sixty years, Africans lived and died under the yoke of European rule. They resisted and collaborated, rendering uncertain the power of colonialism and certain its ultimate collapse. By the 1960s, most Africans were free of foreign rule. Since then they of have endeavored to achieve political stability, navigate Cold War politics, harness development aid, and adapt to an emerging neoliberal economic order. In recent years, while some have ignited brutal wars and endured devastating famines, they have also inspired the world with their triumph over apartheid, emergent, vibrant democracies, and rich cultures. Together, we will explore these dramatic moments as well as the complex and painful forms of inequality that lay beneath - whether racial, gendered, sexual, or economic. We will approach these unsettling issues with respect for another and the past. To do so, we analyze a variety of texts from primary documents, fiction written by Africans, film, and graphic novels. We will also train ourselves to be historians of Africa, researching the lives and labors of everyday African peoples and using historical writing to understand their influence over the past and present.