89962 - AFRICAN HISTORY AND SOCIETY IN A GLOBAL PERSPECTIVE

Conoscenze e abilità da conseguire

The Course Unit focuses on the Africa countries in 20th and 21st centuries. It aims at introducing students to the regions’ contemporary history by paying attention to social, economic, and political issues and the main theories and concepts about the formation of the contemporary States. This Unit takes a historical approach to examine the nature of political authority, the complex international relations between Sub Saharan Africa, North Africa and Middle East areas. Moreover, it deals with colonial politics during the 20th century, along with the succeeding resurgence of religious themes both in national and global politics. Course will point to examine the challenges of democracy, the legacy of the past in national and transnational belonging and the foundation of political institutions in these geopolitical regions, with a focus on post Cold War context.

Contenuti

The course addresses key theories, themes and topics that articulate relationships, issues and representations of Africa in a global perspective. It is organised thematically in order to contextualise some of the continent’s main priorities and issues within their specific histories and the politics that frame current manifestations.

Week 1. “Representations of Africa. Conceptual and methodological challenges”

Key Questions: What challenges do Abrahamsen and the Comaroff pose to representations of Africa in a Global perspective? What is the role of African Studies in addressing these challenges methodologically and conceptually?

Required readings:

· Comaroff, J., J. Comaroff (1997) “Africa Observed: Discourses of the imperial imagination.” in Perspectives on Africa: a reader in culture, history, and representation. Cambridge: Blackwell, pp. 689-703.

· Abrahamsen (2016) ‘Africa and International Relations: Assembling Africa, Studying the World’, African Affairs 116/462, 125-139.

Additional readings:

Cooper (2002). Africa since 1940s. The Past of the Present. Chapter 1: “Introduction: From Colonies to Third World”. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

Week 2. “The Cold War period”

Key Questions: How has the Cold War affected trajectories of state formation across different regions in Africa? What was the impact of Structural Adjustment?

Required readings:

· Nugent, P. (2004) Africa since Independence. Chapter 5: “‘Ism Schisms’: African Socialism and Home-Grown Capitalism, 1960-1985”. London: Palgrave Macmillan.

· Nugent, P. (2004) Africa since Independence. Chapter 8: "Invasion of the Acronyms: SAPs, AIDS, and the NGO Takeover". London: Palgrave Macmillan.

Additional readings:

Cooper (2002) Africa since 1940s. The Past of the Present. Chapter 5: “Development and Disappointment: social and economic change in an unequal world, 1945-2000”. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

Reinold, T. (2019) ‘Civil society participation in regional integration in Africa: A comparative analysis of ECOWAS, SADC, and the EAC’, South African Journal of International Affairs, 26:1, 53-71

Week 3. “Democratisation and the colonial legacy”

Key questions. What continuities and discontinuities have characterised the debate about democratisation in Africa since the 1990s? What is the role of formal and informal institutions in framing the current debate about democratisation?

Required readings:

· Nugent, P. (2004) Africa since Independence. Chapter 9: ‘Democracy Rediscovered: Popular Protest, Elite Mobilisation and the Return of Multipartitism”. London: Palgrave Macmillan.

· Cheeseman, N. (2018) Institutions and Democracy in Africa: How the rules of the game shape political engagements. Chapter 1: “‘Understanding African politics: Why we need to bring the state back in”. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

Additional readings:

Mamdani, M. (1996) Citizen and Subject: Contemporary Africa and the Legacy of Late Colonialism. Chapter 2: “Decentralized Despotism”. Princeton: Princeton University Press.

Week 4. “Developmental States in Africa? Good governance and its alternatives”

Key questions: What are the main features and critique of the developmental state’s models in Rwanda, Ethiopia, and Botswana?

Required readings:

· Goodfellow, T. (2017) ‘Taxing property in a neo-developmental state: The politics of urban land value capture in Rwanda and Ethiopia’, African Affairs 116 (465): 549-572.

· Hillbom, E. (2011) ‘Botswana: a development-oriented gate-keeping state’, African Affairs 111 (442): 67–89.

Additional readings:

Clapham, C. (2018) ‘The Ethiopian developmental state’, Third World Quarterly 39, (2017): 1–15.

Hayashi, S. (2010) ‘The developmental state in the era of globalization: beyond the northeast Asian model of political economy’, Pacific Review 23 (1): 45–69.

Léfort, R. (2012) ‘Free market economy, ‘developmental state’ and party-state hegemony in Ethiopia: the case of the ‘model farmers’’, The Journal of Modern African Studies, 50(4), 681–706.

Leftwich, A. (2000) States of Development: on the primacy of politics in development. Cambridge: Polity Press.

Mkandawire, T. (2001) ‘Thinking about developmental states in Africa’, Cambridge Journal of Economics 25 (3): 289–313.

Week 5. “The surge of religious movements”

Key questions:

What is the role of religion in shaping the historical trajectory of the Ugandan State? What is the role of faith-based organisations in humanitarianism and the international development industry?

Required readings:

· Gusman, A. (2009) ‘HIV/AIDS, Pentecostal churches and the Joseph Generation in Uganda’, Africa Today 56(1): 66-86.

· Valois, C. (2014) ‘Virtual Access: the Ugandan ‘anti-gay’ movement, LGBT blogging and the public sphere’, Journal of Eastern African Studies 9(1): 145-162.

Additional Readings:

Gifford, P. (1998) Africa Christianity It’s Public Role. London: Hurst Company. Chapter 4: Uganda. 112-168

Deacon, G. and G. Lynch. (2013) ‘Allowing Satan in? Moving Toward a Political Economy of Neo-Pentecostalism in Kenya’ Journal of Religion in Africa. 43. 108-130.

Marshall, R. (2009) Political Spiritualties: The Pentecostal Revolution in Nigeria. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.

Jones, B. (2013) ‘The Making of Meaning: Churches, Development Projects and Violence in Eastern Uganda’ Journal of Religion in Africa 43:74-95.

Week 6. “New international actors and interests”

Key questions: How do new international actors shape relationships and representations of Africa? What are the specific interests of China and Turkey?

Required readings:

· Mohan, G., B. Lampert (2013) ‘Negotiating China: Reinserting African agency into China–Africa relations’, African Affairs 112(446): 92-110.

· Langan, M. (2017) ‘Virtuous power Turkey in sub-Saharan Africa: the ‘Neo-Ottoman’ challenge to the European Union’, Third World Quarterly 38(6): 1399-1414.

Additional readings:

Van der Merwe, J., I. Taylor, A. Arkhangelskaya (Eds.) (2016) Emerging Powers in Africa. A New Wave in the Relationship? London: Palgrave Macmillan.

Pallotti, A. (2020) “The Chinese Penetration in Sub-Saharan Africa: The Case of Tanzania”, Rekindling the Strong State in Russia and China. Leiden: Brill, 429-449.

Ozkan, M., B. Akgun (2010) ‘Turkey’s opening to Africa’, Journal of Modern African Studies, 48(4): 525–546.

Week 7. “Land grabbing and social movements”

Key questions: what are the similarities and differences of the land question in Ethiopia and Malawi? How does the debate about land grabbing affect the two countries’ trajectory?

Required readings:

· Lavers, T. (2012) ‘‘Land grab’ as development strategy? The political economy of agricultural investment in Ethiopia’. Journal of Peasant Studies, 39(1), 105–132.

· Chinigò, D. (2016) ‘Re-Peasantization and Land Reclamation Movements in Malawi’, African Affairs 115(458).

Additional readings:

Bryceson, D.F. (2018) “Deagrarianization and Depeasantization in Africa: Tracing Sectoral Transformation and Rural Income Diversification”. In Binns, T., K. Lynch and E. Nel (Eds.) Routledge Handbook of African Development (pp. 368–377). Oxford/New York: Routledge.

Bernstein, H. (2004). ‘Considering Africa’s Agrarian Questions’, Historical Materialism, 12(4), 115–144.

Lavers, T. (2012) ‘Patterns of agrarian transformation in Ethiopia: State-mediated commercialisation and the ‘land grab’’, Journal of Peasant Studies, 39(3–4), 795–822.

Kanyongolo, E. (2005) “Land Occupations in Malawi: Challenging the Neoliberal Order”, in Moyo and Yeros (eds), Reclaiming the Land: The Resurgence of Rural Movements in Africa, Asia and Latin America, pp. 118–41.

Kishindo, P. (2004) ‘Customary Land Tenure and the New Land Policy in Malawi’, Journal of Contemporary African Studies, 22, 2, pp. 213–25.

Peters, P.E. (2013) ‘Conflicts Over Land and Threats to Customary Tenure in Africa’, African Affairs 112(449): 543-562.

Week 8. “A new African Renaissance? Science and Technology, space science, and astronomy”

Key questions: How do current investments in science and technology shape representations of African futures? How do large scale infrastructure shape new regional and international relations?

Required readings:

· Mavhunga, C. (2017) What Do Science, Technology, and Innovation Mean from Africa?. Introduction. Cambridge MA: MIT Press.

· Chinigò, D. and C. Walker (2020) 'Science, astronomy, and sacrifice zones: development trade-offs, and the Square Kilometre Array (SKA) radio telescope project in South Africa', Social Dynamics 46(3): 391-413.

Additional readings:

Dubow, S. (2019) ‘200 Years of Astronomy in South Africa: From the Royal Observatory to the ‘Big Bang’ of the Square Kilometre Array’ Journal of Southern African Studies 45(4): 663-687.

Walker, C., D. Chinigò, S. Dubow (2019) ‘Introduction. Karoo Futures: Astronomy in Place and Space’, Journal of Southern African Studies 45(4).

Gastrow, M. and T. Oppelt (2019) ‘The Square Kilometre Array and Local Development Mandates in the Karoo’, Journal of Southern African Studies 45(4): 711-728.

Walker, C. (2019) ‘Cosmopolitan Karoo: Land, space and place in the shadow of the Square Kilometre Array (SKA)’ Journal of Southern African Studies 45(4).

Atkinson, D. (2019) ‘When stars collide: Competing development paradigms in the central Karoo’ Journal of Southern African Studies 45(4).

Chinigò, D. (2019) ‘From the ‘Merino revolution’ to the ‘Astronomy revolution’: Land Alienation and Identity in Carnarvon, South Africa’, Journal of Southern African Studies, 45(4).

Week 9. “An African Anthropocene? Climate change mitigation and adaptation”

Key questions: How does the notion of Anthropocene shape debates about climate change mitigation and adaptation in Africa?

Required reading:

· Hecht, G. (2018) ‘Interscalar Vehicles for an African Anthropocene: On Waste, Temporality, and Violence’, Cultural Anthropology 33 (1):109-41.

· Hummel, D. (2016) ‘Climate change, land degradation and migration in Mali and Senegal – some policy implications’, Migration and Development 5(2): 211-233.

Additional reading:

Chakrabarty, D. (2009) ‘The climate of history: Four theses’, Critical Inquiry 35(2):197-222.

Latour, B. (2014) ‘Anthropology at the Time of the Anthropocene - A personal view of what is to be studied’. Distinguished lecture delivered at the American Anthropological Association annual meeting, Washington, 2014.

Week 10. “Reassembling Africa. Decolonising knowledge?”

Key questions: What is the meaning of decolonising knowledge? What questions do the ‘Rhodes Must Fall’ and subsequent student movements in South Africa raise for the discipline of African Studies?

Required readings:

· Mbembe, A. (2015) ‘Decolonizing Knowledge and the Question of the Archive’, public lecture, available at https://wiser.wits.ac.za/system/files/Achille%20Mbembe%20-%20Decolonizing%20Knowledge%20and%20the%20Question%20of%20the%20Archive.pdf

· Nyamnjoh, A. (2017) ‘The Phenomenology of Rhodes Must Fall: Student Activism and the Experience of Alienation at the University of Cape Town’, Strategic Review for Southern Africa 39(1): 256-276.

Additional readings:

Macamo, E. (2016) “‘Before we start’: Science and power in the constitution of Africa”, in M. Ramutsindela, G. Miescher, and M. Boehi (Eds.), The Politics of Nature and Science in Southern Africa. Basel: Basler Afrika Bibliographien, pp 323-334.

Robbe, K. (2014) ‘African studies at a crossroads: producing theory across the disciplines in South Africa’, Social Dynamics 40(2): 255-273.

Fanon, F. (1965) The wretched of the earth. Penguin Books.

Melber, H. (2018) ‘Knowledge Production and Decolonisation - Not Only African Challenges’, Strategic Review for Southern Africa 40(1).

Testi/Bibliografia

Attending students

As far as the final exam is concerned, attending students will be evaluated based on the two required readings for Weeks 1-3, and choose one of the two required readings for Weeks 4-10 (for a total of 13 readings).

The additional readings listed under each class are intended as a complementary bibliography that can help students to deepen their knowledge of each specific topic based on their own interest. Some of these readings may be used during lectures.

Non-attending students

To prepare the final exam non-attending student are requested to prepare a partially different reading list. Non-attending students will be evaluated based on the following:

· Nugent, P. (2004). Africa since Independence. London: Palgrave Macmillan.

· Choose one of the two required readings for Weeks 4-10 (for a total of 7 readings).

The additional readings listed under each class are intended as a complementary bibliography that can help students to deepen their knowledge of each specific topic based on their own interest.

Non-attending students are kindly requested to contact the lecturer in due time before the exam for further clarifications about the final exam.

Metodi didattici

The course is organised as a set of lectures followed by extensive class discussion. Students are expected to read a diverse range of literature in order to critically engage with the histories informing contemporary issues in Africa, while making use of specific case studies that elucidate pertinent concepts and themes.

Each lecture will rely on the two required readings (see ‘Course Content’), as well as additional supplemental material. Students are expected to prepare the two required readings in advance of each class. Supplemental material can include additional readings, news articles, audio-visual material, and other web-based resources. Some lectures may include presentations from external experts in the form of a seminar. A more detailed programme will be made available to students at the beginning of the course.

Depending on the specific topic, class discussion will include group work and presentations, and extensive question & answer. Details will be defined and shared with students at the beginning of the course.

Modalità di verifica e valutazione dell'apprendimento

Both attending and non-attending students will undertake an oral exam based on the two different syllabus and requirements outlined above (see “Readings/Bibliography”). The oral exam is articulated along three/four questions. Students will be assessed based on their ability to:

· Demonstrate critical knowledge and understanding of the key theories, concepts and issues most central to African history and society in a global perspective;

· Apply the knowledge, skills, and understanding gained in the course through engagement with research and news about Africa;

· Critically analyse and evaluate research and contemporary debates about African issues in order to make informed opinions and analyses;

· Communicate their knowledge of African history and society through theoretically informed and empirically grounded oral presentations;

· Demonstrate autonomy and critical thinking in their ability to question, examine, and understand key issues.

The ability of the student to achieve a coherent and comprehensive understanding of the topics addressed by the course, to critically assess them and to use an appropriate language will be evaluated with the highest grades (A = 27-30 cum laude).

A predominantly mnemonic acquisition of the course's contents together with gaps and deficiencies in terms of language, critical and/or logical skills will result in grades ranging from good (B = 24-26) to satisfactory (C = 21-23).

A low level of knowledge of the course’s contents together with gaps and deficiencies in terms of language, critical and/or logical skills will be considered as ‘barely passing' (D = 18-20) or result in a fail grading (E).

Strumenti a supporto della didattica

Each week’s Power Point Presentation will be made available after class. Additional documents, web-based resources, and maps will be circulated through the course web platform.

Orario di ricevimento

Consulta il sito web di Davide Chinigò