AFRICA IN THE 19TH CENTURY
HISC50H
2005
Professor Stephen Rockel
Office: H330. Office hours: Tuesday 10.00–11.00, Thursday 15.00–16.00
Phone: 416-287-7145
E-mail: rockel@utsc.utoronto.ca. Website: www.utsc.utoronto.ca/~rockel
Texts
Students should buy the following set texts and novels from the campus bookstore: Bill
Freund, The Making of Contemporary Africa (Boulder: Lynne Rienner Publishers,
2nd ed., 1998)
S. Rockel, Readings on 19th Century Africa (University of Toronto at
Scarborough, 2005)
Elechi Amadi, The Concubine (1966)
In addtion, Carol Berkin and Betty S. Anderson, The History Handbook (Boston
and New York: Houghton Mifflin, 2003) is a very clear and useful tool for all history
students, and will help you get the best out of lectures, tutorials and assignments.
LECTURES AND TUTORIALS
Lectures: Tuesday 14:00-16:00 in HW408
Tutorials: Beginning 29 September, every second week.
Week 1. Introduction to Pre-Colonial African History
Freund, 14-21
Video: “Caravans of Gold”, from the TV series Africa: A Voyage of Discovery, by
Basil Davidson
Week 2. Introduction to the Geography, Resources and Peoples of the Continent
Week 3. Muslim Societies in West Africa
Freund, 21-33
Tutorial 1: 29 September African History: Perspectives on the Field
Discussion of: Freund, 1-13
Joseph Ki-Zerbo, “General Introduction”, UNESCO General History of Africa, Vol.
1 (1981), 1-23.
Steven Feierman, “African Histories and the Dissolution of World Histories”, in
Robert H. Bates, V.Y. Mudimbe and Jean O’Barr, eds., Africa and the Disciplines
(1993), 167-212.
1
Week 4. Kingdoms of the Great Lakes
Map Quiz (4 October)
Week 5. The Atlantic Slave Trade
Freund, 34-47
Tutorial 2: 13 October Slavery and the Slave Trade in West Africa
John Thornton, “Sexual Demography: The Impact of the Slave Trade on Family
Structure”, in Claire C. Robertson and Martin A. Klein, eds., Women and Slavery
in Africa (1983), 39-48
Myron Echenberg, “Slaves into Soldiers: Social Origins of the Tirailleurs
Senegalais”, in Paul E. Lovejoy, ed., Africans in Bondage: Studies in Slavery and
the Slave Trade (1986), 311-333.
Ismail Rashid, “‘A Devotion to the Idea of Liberty at Any Price”: Rebellion and
Antislavery in the Upper Guinea Coast in the Eighteenth and Nineteenth
Centuries”, in Sylviane A. Diouf, ed., Fighting the Slave Trade: West African
Strategies (2003), 132-151
Week 6. East Africa: Ivory and Slaves
Freund, 58-63
First Essay due (18 October)
Week 7. The Southern African Frontier
Freund, 47-50, 65-72
Tutorial 3: 27 October Shaka, the Zulu Kingdom, and the Mfecane (or, is Oprah Really
Zulu?)
John Wright and Carolyn Hamilton, "Ethnicity and Political Change Before 1840",
in Robert Morrell, ed., Political Economy and Identities in Kwazulu-Natal (1996),
15-32
Elizabeth A. Eldredge, "Sources of Conflict in Southern Africa c. 1800-1830: The
'Mfecane' Reconsidered", in Carolyn Hamilton, ed., The Mfecane Aftermath:
Reconstructive Debates in Southern African History (1995), 123-62
Carolyn Hamilton, "'The Character and Objects of Chaka': A Reconsideration of
the Making of Shaka as Mfecane Motor", in Hamilton, The Mfecane Aftermath,
183-211
Dan Wylie, "Violently Representing Shaka", Mots Pluriels, 1, 4 (1997)
Week 8. The Impact of the Slave Trade
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Week 9. African Empires: Ethiopia
Tutorial 4: 10 November The Village Community: Idealized or Real?
Elechi Amadi, The Concubine (1966)
Week 10. African Economies in the Nineteenth Century
Freund, 51-58, 63-65
Week 11. The Partition of Africa
Freund, 73-96
Second Essay due (22 November)
Tutorial 5: 24 November Betwixt and Between: The Dilemas of the Educated Elite
Brian Willan, "An African in Kimberley: Sol T. Plaatje, 1894-98", in Shula Marks
and Richard Rathbone, eds., Industrialisation and Social Change in South Africa
(1982), 238-58
Philip S. Zachernuk, "The Lagos Intelligencia and the Idea of Progess, ca. 18601960", in Toyin Falola, ed., Yoruba Historiography (1991), 147-65
John Iliffe, "The Spokesman: Martin Kayamba", in John Iliffe, ed., Modern
Tanzanians (1973), 66-94
Week 12. The Mineral Revolution in Southern Africa
Freund, 149-66
COURSE WORK
Disabilities
Students with a disability/health consideration are encouraged to approach the staff at
the AccessAbility Services Office @ 287-7560. They can also drop by the office,
S302B, inside the Resource Centre. The Coordinator is available by appointment to
assess specific needs, provide referrals and arrange appropriate accommodations.
Tutorials
Tutorial attendance and participation is essential for this course, and is reflected in the
allocation of the final grade. You can earn up to 15% of your grade by contributing to
discussions stimulated by the set readings.
Assignments
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The assignments include a a map quiz and two short essays, apart from the regular
tutorials. The map quiz is set for the third week lecture period (4 October), and will take
only about ten minutes. The first essay should be about 1,000 words (4 double-spaced
pages), and the second about 2,000 words (8 double spaced pages).
N.B. Late essays will be penalized 1% a day unless you have made prior arrangements
or have a valid excuse.
Analytical Skills and Essay Organisation
It is most important that you develop an analysis of your topic, rather than being merely
descriptive. You will want to do your own thinking rather than present a mishmash of
other people’s ideas. The use of a plan helps to clarify thought and develop your
argument. Start your essay with a clear introduction stating the argument or thesis, and
what sort of evidence you will present. In the main body of the essay present your
evidence and discuss it. The conclusion should be a short evaluation of your argument
in relation to the evidence. Use footnotes or endnotes for all quotations and
paraphrases. Include a bibliography at the end of the essay. Keep your notes and a
backup copy. Remember that the university has facilities to assist you with improving
your written English.
Plagiarism
Plagiarism is a serious academic offence, and can result in penalties. If you quote and
reference your sources honestly and accurately you will have nothing to worry about. If
you are not sure how to avoid plagiarism, consult the Calendar or Berkin and Anderson,
The History Handbook, or speak with me. If you are suspected of plagiarism an oral
test could be used to determine your knowledge of the subject and taken into account in
your grade.
Deadlines
Map quiz:
First Essay:
Second Essay:
4 October
18 October
22 November
Grade Allocation
Your grade will be worked out as follows:
Map quiz:
First essay:
Second Essay:
Tutorial participation:
Final exam:
Total:
10%
15%
25%
15%
35%
100%
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