28760 - History and Institutions of Africa

Learning outcomes

By the end of the course, students will have an advanced knowledge of the major social, political and economic processes that have affected the history of the African continent in the 19th and 20th centuries. They will be familiar with the major thematic and methodological trends in Africanist historiography and understand how key categories and concepts change according to research orientations and contemporary debates. Students will be able to critically interpret information and sources relating to Africa and its history. They will have a thorough knowledge of disciplinary terminology and be able to use it in oral and written communication, including editorial work. Through discussions and seminars, students will develop a critical and scholarly approach to African history beyond representations and stereotypes and will be able to critically evaluate different perspectives and cultures.

Course contents

The course is divided into two modules. Module 1 Storia e Istituzioni dell'Africa (1) Prof. Karin Pallaver and Module 2 Storia e Istituzioni dell'Africa (2) Prof. Domenico Cristofaro. Students taking Storia e Istituzioni dell'Africa (1) should make reference only to the programme for Module 1 (Prof. Pallaver).

Module 1 History and Institutions of Africa (1) Prof. Pallaver:

The first part (6 hours) provides an introduction to the history of sub-Saharan Africa and its links with global historical processes from 1800 to 1960. Students with no background in African history are encouraged to read R. Reid, A History of Modern Africa. 1800 to the Present, Wiley 2012. This introductory section will also examine the main developments in the field of African history and the main historiographical debates, also in relation to Global History.

The second part of the course will focus on sub-Saharan Africa under colonial rule. This part of the course will specifically focus on colonial encounters. Adopting a thematic approach, we will examine gender relations in the colonies, the relationship between European and African languages, the impact of colonial currencies on African societies, and colonialism and memory. The aim is to reconstruct the history of colonialism in Africa as a process of continuous interaction and negotiation between colonizers and colonized societies.

MODULE 2 History and Institutions of Africa (2) Prof. Cristofaro:

The module will focus on African history from the late colonial period to the postcolonial era. Through the analysis of case studies drawn from different regions of the continent, it will examine the major political, economic, and social processes that shaped the transition from colonial rule to independent states. Particular attention will be devoted to anti-colonial struggles and decolonization, the construction of the postcolonial state, African nationalisms, development policies pursued after independence, and the political and economic transformations of the late twentieth century. The module will also discuss some of the principal theoretical approaches used to interpret contemporary African history. As in the first module, students will actively participate in the course through class discussions. Additional individual and group work will be proposed on the topics covered in the second module. Through debates, case study presentations, methodological and analytical investigations, the module aims to enhance historical research skills. It also aims to refine the skills and knowledge necessary for engage with colonial and post-colonial archives and oral sources, and to understand the diversity of colonial and post-colonial experiences.

Readings/Bibliography

Module 1 History and Institutions of Africa (1) Prof. Pallaver:

STUDENTS ATTENDING THE COURSE:

Students attending the course will be given weekly readings, that are designed to complement the lectures. The readings and assignments will make students think about African history and historiography in a critical perspective. The material will be uploaded on virtuale.unibo.it.

STUDENTS NOT ATTENDING THE COURSE:

Students not attending the course will read a total of three books, chosen among the following:

Alice Bellagamba, L'Africa e la stregoneria. Saggio di antropologia storica, Laterza, 2008

Paolo Borruso, Debre Libanos 1937. Il più grave crimine di guerra dell'Italia,Laterza, 2020

Federica Guazzini, L'Eritrea nella Seconda Guerra Mondiale, Rubbettino, 2024

Katherine Luongo, Witchcraft and colonial rule in Kenya, 1900-1950, Cambridge University Press, 2015

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

John M. Mugane, The Story of Swahili, Ohio University Press, 2015

Karin Pallaver e Gian Luca Podestà (a cura di), Una moneta per l’impero. Pratiche monetarie, economia e società nell’Africa Orientale Italiana, Franco Angeli, 2022 (introduction and five chapters of your choice); available in open access here

Carina Ray, Crossing the Color Line: Race, Sex, and the Contested Politics of Colonialism in Ghana, Ohio University Press, 2015

Alessandro Volterra e Maurizio Zinni, Il leone, il giudice e il capestro. Storia e immagini della repressione italiana in Cirenaica (1928-1932), Donzelli, 2021

MODULE 2 History and Institutions of Africa (2) Prof. Cristofaro:

STUDENTS ATTENDING THE COURSE:

Students attending the course will be given weekly readings, that are designed to complement the lectures. The readings and assignments will make students think about African history and historiography in a critical perspective. The material will be uploaded on virtuale.unibo.it at the beginning of the course and the material on specific themes will be uploaded each week

STUDENTS NOT ATTENDING THE COURSE:

Students not attending the course will read a total of 3 books: 

Compulsory reading:

Frederick Cooper, 2002, Africa since 1940. The past of the present, Cambridge, Cambridge University Press

And two among the following:

Allman J.M., Parker J., 2005, Tongnaab: The History of a West African God, Indiana University Press

Brivio A., 2019, Donne, emancipazione e marginalità: Antropologia della schiavitù e della dipendenza in Ghana, Mimesis

Byfield J.A., 2021, The Great Upheaval: Women and Nation in Postwar Nigeria, Ohio University Press

Cristofaro D., 2026, Marginalizing Colonialism. The Politics of Urban Growth in Bolgatanga, Ohio University Press

Ercolessi M.C., 2011, L'Angola indipendente, Carocci

Puddu L., 2025, La diplomazia del capitale. Imperialismo e costruzione dello Stato in Etiopia 1941-1960, Viella

Schmidt E., 2007, Cold War and Decolonization in Guinea, 1946-1958, Ohio University Press

Rognoni M.S., 2003, Scacchiera congolese. Materie prime, decolonizzazione e guerra fredda nell’Africa dei primi anni Sessanta, Polistampa

Wiemers A., 2021, Village Work: Development and Rural Statecraft in Twentieth-Century Ghana, Ohio University Press

Zamponi M., 2009, Breve storia del Sudafrica, Carocci

 

PLEASE NOTE: students who have 12CFU in their study plan, have to read the books of both module 1 and module 2 (6 books in total).

Teaching methods

Lectures and group discussions. Analysis of archival sources, historical photographs, travel accounts, biographies, historical novels, documentary films, and archival footage.

Assessment methods

Students who attend at least 75% of classes as well as all class discussions are considered to be attending.

Module 1 History and Institutions of Africa (1) Prof. Pallaver:

STUDENTS ATTENDING THE COURSE:

Students attending the course will be evaluated on the basis of:

a. participation in class and discussions

During the course, you will have to keep up with the assigned readings which will be discussed in class. To receive a positive evaluation for this part, you will have to engage with the readings and assignments,  think critically about them, and participate actively in class discussions. There will be a total of four group discussions during the course. To be considered an attending student, you have to participate in all four discussions. The material analysed in class may also be discussed  during the oral exam.

b. oral exam

Students will be evaluated on the basis of an oral exam. During the exam, you will have to discuss the articles and book chapters which will be uploaded on Virutale (virtuale.unibo.it) and discuss the main topics analysed during the course: gender, money, language, colonialism and memory. During the exam, you have to demonstrate that you are familiar with the most important processes that characterize the history of Africa during the colonial period and that you are able to situate them in a wider historical perspective. You must also demonstrate that you are able to discuss methodological problems and use  appropriate terminology.

STUDENTS NOT ATTENDING THE COURSE:

Students not attending the course will be evaluated on the basis of an oral exam. During the oral exam you will be asked three questions, one on each book assigned. During the exam, you have to show that you are familiar with the most important processes that characterize the history of Africa during the colonial period and that you are able to situate them in a wider historical perspective. You must also demonstrate that you are able to discuss methodological problems and use appropriate terminology. You have to read all the books assigned. If the reading list is not clear enough or you have problems finding the texts, please contact Prof. Pallaver by e-mail.

Module 2 History and Institutions of Africa (2) Prof. Cristofaro:

STUDENTS ATTENDING THE COURSE:

Students attending the course will be evaluated on the basis of:

a. participation in class and discussions

Attending students are required to read the materials made available on virtual.unibo.it weekly. There will be a total of four group discussions during the second module. In order to be considered attending, students must participate in the four discussions. Signatures will be taken to verify attendance at the classroom discussions. The material discussed in the classroom will also be the subject of some questions during the oral examination. Attending students may arrange changes in the exam syllabus with the lecturer.

b. oral exam:

Attending students will be evaluated on the basis of an oral examination, during which they will be required to:

1. discuss the articles available on virtuale.unibo.it;

2. present the topics discussed in class (to be prepared via the power points uploaded on virtuale.unibo.it and notes);

3. present and discuss (based on what was discussed during the course and the material made available by the lecturer) the topics analyzed during the course;

4. present and discuss the contents of a written paper (if previously agreed upon with the lecturer).

During the oral examination, you will be expected to demonstrate knowledge of the main events that characterized African history during the post-colonial period, as well as the ability to situate the specific examples discussed in class or analyzed in the texts within broader historical processes. In order to pass the exam, the student will be expected to use appropriate and discipline-specific terminology and to discuss topics in an organic and comprehensive manner. The use of improper terms, gaps in preparation and poorly argued answers will negatively affect the grade.

EVALUATION (both modules):

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 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:

Students who are taking this course as part of the integrated course African History and Institutions within the Master's Degree Programme in History and Oriental Studies (curriculum Oriental Studies) will take two separate examinations: one for History and Institutions of Africa (1) (LM) with Prof. Pallaver and one for History and Institutions of Africa (2) (LM) with Prof. Cristofaro.

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

We will use PowerPoint presentations with images and maps. These will be made available to students and uploaded on Virtuale (virtuale.unibo.it).

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 adaptation must be submitted in advance (at least 15 days before the exam date) to the lecturers, who will assess the appropriateness of the adjustments, taking into account the teaching objectives.

Office hours

See the website of Karin Pallaver

See the website of Domenico Cristofaro