This 30 CATS first-year option module is an introduction to the modern social and political history of sub-Saharan Africa. The course takes a chronological approach, covering three broad periods: the nineteenth-century precolonial, colonial, and postcolonial eras. Starting with a discussion of the idea of ‘Africa’, students will familiarise themselves with the changing nature of African trade and commerce after the ending of the slave trade; with the character and development of political authority in the nineteenth century; with the establishment of colonial rule through treaty and conquest; with the effects of colonialism on colonised African societies; with the growth of anti-colonial sentiments and the emergence of nationalisms; and with the impact of decolonization and the formation of postcolonial states. The final lectures and seminars will explore the nature of postcolonial African states, and include discussion of issues such as the Rwandan genocide and ‘development’ in Africa.
Weekly lectures will provide a chronological framework. Seminars elaborate the themes from the lectures, but concentrate on regional case studies and debates within the historiography.