HST695: African Nationalism, 1945-1970
15 credits (semester 1) (semester 2, 2011-12)
Module Leader: Dr. Miles Larmer
| Module Summary |
This module examines nationalist movements in British colonial Africa and the efforts to achieve political independence. It explores the reasons for the rise of mass nationalism after World War Two, the composition and ideologies of these movements and the tactics they adopted to achieve their aims. Attention will be paid to the visions of African nationalist leaders and the problems and dilemmas they faced in putting their ideas into practice in the period after independence. Finally, the module will explore the link between the achievement of national independence and the fulfilment of the aspirations of these movements.
| Module Aims |
This exploration of the efforts to achieve national independence in British colonial Africa will pay particular attention to the writings of African nationalist leaders. Students will thus be able to explore both how these leaders envisaged the future for their newly imagined countries, and the problems and dilemmas they faced in putting their ideas into practice in the period after independence. Students will undertake a structured programme of reading, presentation and discussion in order to investigate both the particular history of African nationalism and how this relates to wider discussions of the emergence of nations, political representation, and other broad questions of modern history. Students will be expected to understand a range of contemporary perspectives and to grasp the ambiguities of nationalist discourse. They will also develop their skills in source criticism though the analysis and investigation of primary documents.
| Teaching |
The module will be taught in five, two-hour classes. These will explore key themes in the historiography of late-colonial and post-colonial Africa. The emphasis will be on student presentation, informed debate and discussion., enabling students to research and present their ideas, share knowledge, debate controversial issues and listen and respond to the views of others in a structured environment. Students will, in addition, have individual tutorial contact with the module leader in order to discuss their written work for this module.
| Assessment |
Students will prepare a 3,000-word paper relating to at least one of the key themes of the module.
| Intended Learning Outcomes |
By the end of the module, a candidate will be able to demonstrate:
- A deeper understanding of one of the most important phases of African history.
- The ability to relate case studies of African nationalist movements to wider historiographical debates.
- The ability to distinguish between and critically evaluate different academic interpretations and explanations for the events under examination, including from disciplines other than history.
- The ability to present scholarly arguments and debates to fellow students and to defend intellectual positions in debate.
- The capacity to relate original source material to the subject's secondary literature.