The History of Modern Africa - Einzelansicht

This lecture offers a survey of African history from the imposition of European colonial rule in the late nineteenth century to the present day. In some ways this is an insurmountable task: the continent is vast, diverse, and its histories are numerous. However, by moving chronologically and trans-regionally, we can trace some of the most influential elements of African history since 1800, including the end of the trade in enslaved people, the 1885 Berlin/Congo Conference, the independence movements of the mid-twentieth century, and the end of apartheid in South Africa.

Our main themes will include movement and exchange; cultural and religious interaction; various forms of community-creation and/or state-making; and the multitude of historical imprints left by African communities. We will come to see how the history of the continent has been determined by a combination of inside and outside forces, and the power of people to respond to those forces over time and space. By the end of the lecture, you will have a broad knowledge of this period of African history as well as the tools to engage more deeply both with that history and with contemporary questions facing the continent.

Robert Harms, Africa in Global History

Trevor Getz and Liz Clarke, Abina and the Important Men

Teju Cole, Every Day is For the Thief

Wangari Maathai, Unbowed

See your study regulations (Studienordnung). If you are an international student and unsure about your study regulations, please consult the course tutor Katharina Wegmann  (katharina.wegmann(at)uni-potsdam.de).