African History 1900 until Yesterday

3 credits · Undergraduate

Africa is often portrayed as the “dark continent”, yet this is far from the historical reality. This course will show that Africa and Africans played a central role in global history. This course begins with a consideration of the process of colonization, how colonists carved up Africa with very little consideration for the people or geography. This process fundamentally shaped the political, social and economic developments during this era. We will then look at the major migration from the rural to the urban areas in the mid-20th Century and how this shaped the capitalist economy. Finally the course looks at the liberation and post-liberation period, considering the experiences of soldiers, exiles and refugees. In the final weeks, we will look at the creation of the African Diaspora and the processes of ‘development’ which have seen a renewed interest in Africa. We will ask to what extent this new interest might be considered neo-colonialism.