**CANCELLED**
HIST 203(S) Sub-Saharan Africa Since 1800*
This survey of sub-Saharan African history takes up the continuing saga of
African political, social and economic developments from the aftermath of the
trans-Atlantic slave trade to the present. It is divided into three sections. The first
section of the course focuses on the consequences of the slave trade on African
societies and on the Africans' interaction with European merchants, explorers,
and missionaries in the decades preceding colonial conquest. The human
consequences of the trade lingered long after the abolition of the slave trade
across the Atlantic ocean. Many African societies were strengthened, often at
the expense of their neighbors; other societies were weakened, thus setting the
stage for colonial conquest. During the second half of the nineteenth century,
however, competition among Europeans for control of raw materials for their
nascent industries led to colonization, and in some cases, to white settlement in
Africa.
The second section of the course investigates the process of colonial conquest
and the dynamics of colonial rule in Africa. It looks especially at the ways in
which colonialism affected various groups of Africans, and at the ways, both
subtle and overt, in which Africans resisted or collaborated with colonial rule in
order to achieve their goals. The colonial period, brief in time, yet profoundly
significant in its impact, was ushered out partly by the rising tide of African
nationalism.
The last section of the course, then, examines the rise of new nation-states, their
colonial legacies, post-colonial economies, and systems of justice, education,
and governance.
Format: discussion. Evaluation will be based on class participation, one exam,
and two papers.
No enrollment limit (expected: 30). Open to all.
Group C
Hour: TBA