HIS-30149 - Module Specification
School of Humanities and Social Sciences
Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences

Programme/Approved Electives for 2025/26

Available as a Free Standing Elective

Co-requisites

None

Prerequisites

None.

Barred Combinations

None

Description for 2025/26

Can a continent possess a history or a people? To what extent are ideas of Africa and Africans still tied to race and other colonial legacies? To understand the ways we imagine Africa today, the module examines the cultural, political and economic dialogues which took place regarding Africa c.1945 to the present. The module uses the latest scholarship and, in challenging a hitherto dominant national historiography, emphasises the importance of both the local (e.g. diverse subaltern experiences in Ghana, Kenya, Algeria, South Africa or Nigeria) and the global (e.g. decolonisation, socialism, postcolonialism and pan-Africanism), in shaping Africa. Perhaps most controversially, the module asks: do you have to be black to be African? And is Africa, as The Economist wrote, a 'hopeless continent', inherently violent, poor and diseased? While the main focus will be on English-language primary sources and former British colonies, there will also be a chance to compare different colonial legacies within Africa. This will enable students to critically analyse a variety of historiographical approaches to African history and introduce them to a range of primary source materials which have been utilised by historians to interpret key events and processes. For example, students will have a chance to read the works of: Leopold Senghor, Kwame Nkrumah, Frantz Fanon, Steven Biko, Nelson Mandela, Chinua Achebe, Wole Soyinka, Ngugi wa Thiong'o, Julius Nyerere, Walter Rodney, George Padmore, and recent works by people like C. N. Adichie and Thabo Mbeki. Films and other media formats will also be incorporated into the module's analysis, as will official documents.

How has Africa become the continent it is today? Who creates the images of Africa we see? To what extent are ideas of Africa and Africans still tied to colonialism? What about China’s more recent involvement? This module will introduce you to the history of Africa and its diaspora since 1945, examining the forces of decolonisation, nationhood, religion, the Cold War and other factors shaping Africa. We will explore a wide range of primary sources, including traditional sources about politics and economics, as well as a range of films, music, poetry and novels. Seminars will encourage students to use specific case studies to explore how ideas of what it means to be ‘African’ have developed historically in Africa itself and around the world. Through understanding these diverse histories, we can also begin to ask: what exactly is ‘African’ about African history?

Intended Learning Outcomes

recognise and explain the changing ways in which people perceived Africa and Africans, both inside and outside the continent from c.1945 to the present, engaging critically with the formation of African history and identity: 1,2
relate case studies and examples of historical change, especially regarding British and French decolonisation and post-colonialism, to broader thematic issues in the historiography of colonial Africa and post-colonialism: 1,2
evaluate and critically assess a range of primary sources and apply them appropriately within historical analysis: 1,2
distinguish between and critically evaluate different academic interpretations and explanations for the events under examination, including from disciplines other than history: 1,2
develop the capacity for independent thought and communicate such thoughts clearly and effectively through class discussion and through both verbal and written assessment: 1,2

Study hours

11 x two-hour seminars
44 hours seminar preparation
35 hours researching and writing for the source commentary
49 hours preparation for essay

School Rules

None

Description of Module Assessment