93294 - African History (1)

Learning outcomes

By the end of the course students will have formed a critical approach to various kinds of source and possess a detailed knowledge of the major historical events taking place in post-colonial Africa. They will be able to handle complex concepts and categories in a long-term framework and extra-European cultural and geographic settings. They will appreciate the importance of a comparative perspective in social and cultural discussion and use the terminology appropriate to their scientific discipline. They will be geared to group work, show judgment on the professional, human and ethical planes, and know how to listen, understand and debate respectfully with different cultures and viewpoints.

Course contents

This course is an introduction to the history of sub-Saharan Africa from the late 19th century to the 1990s. In order to balance historical breadth with depth,  the course  will analyse  selected case studies to highlight major historical trends and see their impact at  the local and regional level. The first classes will provide an introduction to the history of the continent. We will discuss the idea of an "Africa without history", the development of  historical scholarship on Africa, and the sources that  historians of Africa can use. We will then analyse the origins of 19th-century European imperialism in order to see how Western scientific and technological developments, the political and economic conditions within Europe, pseudoscientific racism, as well as the work of missionaries and explorers laid the foundations for the scramble for Africa.

We will then examine the reactions of African societies to colonial occupation and analyse the different forms of colonialism. Particular attention will be given to the early developments of African nationalism. We will investigate Africa's participation in the First and Second World Wars and the development of international movements, especially Panafricanism and Négritude. We will then consider the most important phases of the decolonization process, from the independence of Ghana in 1957 to the end of apartheid in South Africa in 1994.

In the last part of the course, we will focus on specific case studies to examine some of the political and economic choices made by the leaders of post-independence Africa. We will discuss some of the most prominent African political leaders, such as Julius Nyerere, Thomas Sankara, Patrice Lumumba, and Nelson Mandela. We will investigate the impact of colonialism on independent African countries and analyse the relationship between history, nationalism, and the formation of the postcolonial state.

The themes that we will discuss are:

1. African history and historiography: sources, methodologies, and the development of the discipline
2. Why did Europe colonise Africa? Motivations and conditions
3. Forms of European colonialism
4. African resistance to European colonialism
5. Panafricanism and Négritude
6. The decolonization process from the 1950s to the end of apartheid in 1994
7. The postcolonial state in Africa
8. The legacies of colonialism

Readings/Bibliography

Students not attending the course will read:

1. Gian Paolo Calchi Novati e Pierluigi Valsecchi, Africa: la storia ritrovata. Dalle prime forme politiche alle indipendenze nazionali, Carocci Editore, 2016 (or following editions), with the exception of chapters 2, 3, and 4.

AND

2. Luca Jourdan e Karin Pallaver, Parlare d'Africa. 50 Parole chiave, Carocci Editore, 2021

AND

3. One of the following books:

Aimé Césaire, Discorso sul colonialismo. Seguito da Discorso sulla negritudine, Ombre Corte, 2010

Frantz Fanon, I Dannati della terra, Einaudi, 2007

Nelson Mandela, Lungo Cammino verso la libertà, Feltrinelli, 2013.

Thomas Sankara, I discorsi e le idee, Roma: Edizioni Sankara, 2003

Paul Bjerk, Julius Nyerere, Ohio University Press, 2017  

Raymond Betts, La decolonizzazione, Bologna: Il Mulino, 2007

Michela Fusaschi, Hutu-Tutsi. Alle radici del genocidio rwandese, Torino, Bollati Boringhieri, 2000

Giacomo Macola, Una storia violenta. Potere e conflitti nel bacino del Congo (XVIII-XIX secolo), Roma, Viella, 2021

Irma Taddia, Autobiografie africane. Il colonialismo nelle memorie orali, FrancoAngeli, Milano, 1996

Massimo Zaccaria, Missions Abyssines. L'Etiopia, La Grande guerra e la Conferenza della pace, Viella, 2024

Mario Zamponi, Breve Storia del Sudafrica, Carocci Editore, Roma, 2009

NON-ATTENDING STUDENTS WILL READ A TOTAL OF THREE BOOKS

Students attending the course:

Students attending the course will prepare the exam on the basis of the material presented and discussed in class (PowerPoint slides and other teaching materials will be made available on Virtuale virtuale.unibo.it) and will read:

- Luca Jourdan e Karin Pallaver, Parlare d'Africa. 50 Parole chiave, Carocci Editore, 2021, and following editions

- One book chosen from the list under point 3 above

ATTENDING STUDENTS WILL READ A TOTAL OF TWO BOOKS

Teaching methods

Lectures, supported by PowerPoint presentations. Discussion of historical sources, historical biographies, writings by African writers and intellectuals, poems, and songs. Documentaries, archival footage, and film clips will also be shown and discussed during the course.

Assessment methods

Students who attend at least 75% of classes are considered attending students.

ORAL EXAM

During the oral exam, you will be asked three or four questions on the books you have read. For  students attending the course, part of the exam will focus on the themes and issues discussed in class and part on the books assigned for the exam. During the exam, you will have to show that you are familiar with the major events that shaped Africa from the mid-nineteenth century to the 1990s. To obtain a positive evaluation, you have to show that you are able to discuss methodological problems and use an appropriate terminology.

Evaluation:

Students who demonstrate  an in-depth knowledge and understanding of the topics discussed in class and required for the discipline, together with  the ability to provide effective critical analysis, clear and effective communication, and appropriate use of disciplinary terminology, will be awarded very good to excellent final mark (28–30L).

Students who demonstrate a satisfactory knowledge of the course material, although based primarily on memorization, and who are able to discuss it adequately, but do not consistently show a complete command of the course content or appropriate disciplinary terminology, will be awarded satisfactory to good marks (22–27).

Students who demonstrate only a minimal knowledge of the course material, together with significant gaps in their preparation and/or an inadequate use of disciplinary terminology, will receive a pass mark (18–21).

Students who demonstrate serious gaps in their preparation and an inadequate command of the course content and disciplinary terminology will not pass the examination (below 18).

Please note:

A total of eight exam sessions are scheduled, in principle, over the course of the academic year, with approximately one session per month in the following months:

January, March, April, May, June, September, October, and November

The examination is oral and is intended for all students.

NB: If you have included this course in your study plan during the current academic year, you must wait until the end of the course before taking the exam. There are no exceptions to this rule.

Teaching tools

During each lecture, we will use PowerPoint presentations with maps and images, which will be made available on Virtuale (virtuale.unibo.it). We will discuss historical sources as well as the writings of African intellectuals. We will also use documentary films and podcasts.

Students with learning disorders and/or temporary or permanent disabilities: please contact the relevant University office (https://site.unibo.it/studenti-con-disabilita-e-dsa/en/for-students) as soon as possible so that appropriate accommodations can be arranged. The request for accommodations must be submitted to Prof. Pallaver at least 15 days before the examination date. Prof. Pallaver will assess the appropriateness of the requested accommodations, taking into account the learning objectives of the course. 

Office hours

See the website of Karin Pallaver