HIST 253: African History since 1800

This course surveys the history of Africa since 1800. This tumultuous period encompasses from the end of the Atlantic slave trade through the economic, political, and social complexities of contemporary African life. The course draws on primary sources (maps, travelers' accounts, oral histories) as well as literature, music, and film to explore Abolition and post-Abolition slavery in Africa; 19th-century African states and empires; European imperialism and colonization; gender, class, and racial/ethnic identities in colonial society; education and religious change; African nationalism and independence movements; and post-independence dynamics of globalization, conflict, 'development,' and decolonialism.