Wilfrid Laurier University
HI 229
SURVEY OF AFRICAN HISTORY
Fall Term 2012
Instructor:
E-mail:
Office:
Office hours:
Office telephone:
•
Dr. John Laband
jlaband@wlu.ca
DAWB 2-116
Tuesdays, 1:30 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. and Thursdays 1.30 p.m. to 2.30 p.m.
519 – 884 0710 ext. 3331
Course Description
Not unnaturally, Canadian students are largely unfamiliar with the history of Africa. As a continent,
Africa is commonly perceived – and consequently discounted – by many people of the developed
world as the unfortunate victim of colonialism and subsequent underdevelopment, its unhappy
situation exacerbated by its own political, economic and ecological follies. Yet any generalised
negative characterisation of Africa as a whole is inappropriate, for Africa is a vast, ancient continent
exhibiting staggering diversities in terms of topography, climate, biological and zoological forms,
human populations, religions and beliefs, social customs, economic activities and political
organisations.
History 229 is offered as an introductory survey designed to acquaint students with the wide sweep of
African history from earliest times to the present in the context of Africa’s encounters with the wider
world, and to familiarise them with some of the methodological and interpretative problems
associated with studying it.
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Course Structure
Lectures
The course is divided into eight topics that will be covered in two lectures a week (24 in total) of 80
minutes each. The background reading for each topic is based on the textbook, Gilbert and Reynolds,
Africa in World History, and is specified below in the course syllabus.
•
Readings
Prescribed:
Gilbert, Erik, and Jonathan T. Reynolds. Africa in World History from Prehistory to the Present,
3rd edn. Upper Saddle River, N.J.: Pearson, 2012.
Berkeley, Bill. The Graves Are Not Yet Full: Race, Tribe and Power in the Heart of Africa. New
York: Basic Books, 2002.
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Recommended for supplementary reading and reference:
BOOKS:
[Note that there are many other relevant books available on the open shelves in the WLU Library and
in the Dana Porter Library at the University of Waterloo close by. The University of Guelph also
possesses many works on Africa, and these can be ordered through Trellis. The call numbers for the
largest sections of books on African history are DT 1 – DT 3410, starting with general histories and
progressing though regional histories, and JQ 1872 – 3754.]
Recommended
Bohannan, Paul, and Philip Curtin. Africa and Africans, 4th ed. Prospect Heights, IL: Waveland
Press, 1995.
Cooper, Frederick. Africa since 1940: The Past of the Present. Cambridge: Cambridge University
Press, 2002.
Crowder, Michael, and Ajayi, J.F. Ade, eds. Historical Atlas of Africa. New York: Cambridge
University Press, 1985.
Curtin, Philip, Steven Feierman, Leonard Thompson and Jan Vansina. African History from Earliest
Times to Independence, 2nd ed. London and New York: Longman, 1995.
Davidson, Basil. Modern Africa: A Social and Political History, 3rd ed. Harlow: Longman, 1994.
Fage, J.D., and Roland Oliver, eds. The Cambridge History of Africa. New York: Cambridge
University Press, 1975-86, 8 vols.
Fage, J.D., with William Tordoff. A History of Africa, 4th ed. London: Routledge, 2002.
Iliffe, John. Africans: The History of a Continent. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2000.
Isichei, Elizabeth. A History of African Societies to 1870. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press,
1997.
Louis, Wm Roger, editor-in-chief. The Oxford History of the British Empire. Oxford: Oxford
University Press, 2001; especially vols 3-5.
Lovejoy, Paul E. Transformations in Slavery: A History of Slavery in Africa, 2nd ed. Cambridge:
Cambridge University Press, 2000.
Martin, Phyllis M. and Patrick O’Meara. Africa, 3rd ed. Bloomington and Indianapolis: Indiana
University Press, 1995.
Meredith, Martin. The Fate of Africa from the Hopes of Freedom to the Heart of Despair: A
History of 50 Years of Independence. New York: PublicAffairs, 2007.
Oliver, Roland. The African Experience. London: Weidenfeld & Nicolson, 1991.
Oliver, Roland and Anthony Atmore. Medieval Africa 1250-1800. Cambridge: Cambridge
University Press, 2001.
Oliver, Roland and Anthony Atmore. Africa since 1800. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press,
2006.
Oliver, Roland and J.D. Fage. A Short History of Africa. London: Penguin Books, 1995.
Reader, John. Africa: A Biography of the Continent. London: Penguin, 1998.
Robinson, David. Muslim Societies in African History, 2nd ed. Cambridge: Cambridge University
Press, 2000.
Shillington, Kevin. History of Africa, revised ed. London: Macmillan, 1995.
UNESCO. The General History of Africa. Berkeley: University of California Press, 1981-91, 8 vols.
JOURNALS:
[Note that the journals listed below will be especially useful in finding reviews for your book review
assignment.]
Africa Report
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African Studies
Canadian Journal of African Studies
Journal of African History
Journal of Asian and African Studies
Journal of Modern African Studies
Journal of Southern African Studies
NEWSPAPER & RADIO REPORTS
[Note that for contemporary African history it is essential to keep up with rapidly developing current
affairs through newspapers and radio reports.]
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Videos
WLU Media Technology Resources holds a number of video films on various aspects of African
history. These can be viewed on application. Especially recommended is:
The Story of a Continent: Africa. Written and presented by Basil Davidson. 1984. 8 programs.
Program 1: Different but Equal
Program 2: Mastering a Continent
V2706
Program 3: Caravans of Gold
Program 4: Kings and Cities
V2707
Program 5: The Bible and the Gun
Program 6: This Magnificent African Cake
V2708
Program 7: The Rise of Nationalism
Program 8: The Legacy
V2709
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Mid-Term Examination
Date:
Duration:
Venue:
Content:
Format:
Value:
•
23 October 2012
1 hour
DAWB 2-106
Gilbert and Reynolds, Africa in World History, chapters 7, 8, 11, 13
Map test; identifications and short essay. Further details are given at the end of this
document on pp. 12-15.
25 percent of the final grade
Critical Book Review
Date Due:
Length:
Format:
Value:
22 November 2009
Six (6) pages including title page, footnotes and bibliography
Double-spaced in 11- or 12-point with conventional margins
35 percent of the final grade
Instructions:
Write a critical book review of Berkeley, The Graves Are Not Yet Full (prescribed
book).
(1)You must consult and integrate one full book review which may come from an
academic journal or from a newspaper of record.
(2) You must consult Martin Meredith, The Fate of Africa and Frederick Cooper,
Africa since 1940 (both books are on Short Loan) to assess how their arguments (not
factual details) differ from or substantiate Berkeley’s thesis.
(3) You must also consult and integrate the relevant chapters in Gilbert and
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Reynolds, Africa in World History (prescribed book) and refer to them to verify the
accuracy of Berkeley’s account.
The bibliography should include full information on the book being reviewed, the
review you employed and the other sources you consulted. N.B. Attach photocopies
of the review you used to your own review.
Helpful hints: To find suitable reviews in scholarly journals and serious newspapers
you should employ available electronic databases.
Note:
(a) If you are having genuine difficulties in tracking down a book review, ask
a librarian for guidance.
(b) If you are the slightest bit unsure about whether the book review you
have selected is appropriate, ask me about it at the end of lectures or during
my office hours.
Assessment: You will be assessed in a number of areas.
(1) Since the choice of the review is yours, you will be marked on your judgment and
skill in making your selection.
(2) You will be assessed (a) on your analytical ability in understanding and
evaluating Berkeley’s argument, (b) on how effectively you have deployed and
integrated the professional reviewer’s assessments of the book, (c) on how well you
have grasped and related Meredith’s and Cooper’s arguments to Berkeley’s , and (d)
on how thoroughly you have verified Berkeley’s the historical accuracy against the
information in Gilbert and Reynolds.
(3) For your review to merit good marks, it must be well structured, closely argued
and clearly expressed in correct grammatical form. The technical apparatus of
footnotes and references must be meticulous and accord with accepted practices.
Writing advice: It is strongly recommended that you consult a manual like Mary
Lynn Rampolla, A Pocket Guide to Writing History, 6th ed. (Boston/New York:
Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2010) for guidance on the conventions of history writing and
on how to cite sources correctly. If you employ a citation convention other than
Rampolla’s, it must be consistent and accurate.
Electronic Submission
You must submit one copy of the written assignment (not photocopies of the reviews) in
electronic form to the HI229 dropbox on MyLearningSpace as well as turning in a hard copy
with a photocopy of the review attached. No mark will be recorded for an essay which is not
submitted to the dropbox. Essays in the dropbox will automatically be forwarded to
Turnitin.com to be checked for plagiarism.
Late Assignments
Extensions will be granted only in exceptional circumstances and for compassionate reasons.
Late assignments will be penalised at the rate of 3% per day, including weekends. No late
assignment will be accepted after the final examination has been written.
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•
Final Examination
Scope:
Value:
•
All topics covered in lectures and readings
40% of the final grade
Summary of Assignments, Due Dates and Grading
Mid-term examination
Comparative book review
Final examination
25%
35%
40%
TOTAL
100%
Notes
1. Students with disabilities or special needs are advised to contact Laurier's Accessible Learning
Office http://waterloo.mylaurier.ca/accessible/info/home.htm for information regarding its services
and resources. Students are encouraged to review the Calendar for information regarding all services
available on campus.
2. Students are expected to be aware of and abide by University regulations and policies, as outlined
in the current Undergraduate and Graduate Calendar http://www.wlu.ca/calendars.
3. Students must reserve the examination period as stated in the Undergraduate Calendar under
Academic Dates. If you are considering registering for a special examination or event, you should
select a time outside the examination period. Consult with the Undergraduate Calendar for special
circumstances for examination deferral.
4. The penalties for plagiarism or any form of academic misconduct are severe and enforced at all
times. The Student Code of Conduct and Discipline,
http://www.wlu.ca/page.php?grp_id=2505&p=11452 and the procedures for investigating and
determining appropriate disciplinary measures for breaches of the Code are given in the current
Undergraduate and Graduate Calendar. Wilfrid Laurier University uses software that can check for
plagiarism. Students may be required to submit their written work in electronic form and have it
checked for plagiarism.
5. Students are to adhere to the Principles in the Use of Information Technology
http://www.wlu.ca/page.php?grp_id=2505&p=11440 . These Principles and resulting actions for
breaches are stated in the current Undergraduate and Graduate Calendar.
6. Students' names may be divulged in the classroom, both orally and in written form, to other
members of the class. Students who are concerned about such disclosures should contact the course
instructor to identify whether there are any possible alternatives to such disclosures. Additional
information on the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act at Laurier is available at
the Privacy Coordinator Office http://www.wlu.ca/homepage.php?grp_id=1779.
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LECTURES AND RELATED READINGS
Topic no. 1: AFRICA IN THE WORLD
A:
B:
C:
D:
The Study of Africa
What is Africa?
Who invented Africa?
The perspectives of European colonizers, Pan-Africanists and Africans
The perspectives of the Islamic world
1) North Africa
2) The Sudan
3) The Swahili coast
4) The image of Africa in the Islamic world
What should be included in Africa?
Africa in the World
Perceptions of Africa
1) Marginal
2) Broken
3) Primitive
4) Wild and dangerous
5) Exotic
6) Unspoiled
7) Idealized
Finding a balance
“Appropriation” anxieties
The African Environment and History
Environmental history and Africa
Environment and population in Africa
1) A physical profile of the continent
2) Ecological zones
3) Endemic diseases
4) The effects on human habitation
5) “Islands” of economic development and seas of under-employment
6) The pitfalls of ecological determinism
The ever-changing landscape of Africa
1) The introduction of exotic foods and the movement of livestock
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2) The Sahara Desert
READING: Gilbert and Reynolds, Africa in World History, xxi-xxiv, 4-13, 98-138
Topic no. 2: IS THERE AN AFRICAN IDENTITY?
A:
B:
C:
Was Cleopatra Black?
Ancient Egypt
The traditional image of Cleopatra
Black Athena
The evidence
Who Are the Africans?
Who might be included?
Is there an African “race”?
1) Human evolution
2) The multi-regional model
3) The “African Eve” theory
4) The “Out of Africa” model
African diversity
1) The array of African languages
Four language families
The Bantu-speaking migration
Iron technology
Diffusion rather than conquest
2) The multiplicity of African cultures
3) The range of African religions
4) The variety of state forms
Diversity and fusion
Who are the “authentic” Africans?
A Single African People?
Négritude
“Afrocentrism”
The complexities of African identity
The problem of “tribe”
READING: Gilbert and Reynolds, Africa in World History, 14-84
Topic no. 3: WRITING AFRICAN HISTORY
A:
B:
C:
The Colonial View of African History
Great Zimbabwe
The Dark Continent
19th century racial stereotyping
The Modern Academic Discipline of African History
Is there such a thing as specifically African history?
African history and the struggle against colonialism
The historians’ diaspora
Who has the write to study or write African history?
The Evidence
Conventional sources
Written sources
Oral sources
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D:
E:
1) Fixed and free oral traditions
2) Functionalist and structuralist traditions
3) Periodisation in oral history
4) Chronology in oral history
5) Comparative traditions
Interdisciplinary Approaches
Palaeontology and archaeology
Historical linguistics
Anthropology
Art history
The Challenges to “Doing” History in Africa
Topic no. 4: PRE-COLONIAL SUB-SAHARAN SOCIETY AND CULTURE
A:
B:
C:
D:
E:
F:
G:
H:
I:
Traditional Institutions and Modernity
The persistence of African institutions
Diversity and common features of African societies
Kinship and the Household
Polygyny
The household
The division of labour
Bridewealth
Elders
Lineage and community
Royal lineages and chiefdoms
Age Ranking
Initiation
Gender and the Division of Labour
“Appropriate” functions
Food production
The farming household
Specialist occupations
The Ancestors
The community of the living and the dead
Gods and Spirits
Gods
Spirits
Misfortune and its Control
Witches
Diviners
Royal Authority and the Supernatural
The insignia of power
Syncretic faiths
Bori
Church of Nazareth
Topic no. 5: SLAVERY IN AFRICA
A:
B:
The Barbary Coast: The Invisible Slave Trade
Approaches to the African Slave Trade
African, Muslim and European slavers
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C:
D:
E:
F:
G:
H:
I:
J:
K:
Definitions of Slavery
Slaves as property
Slaves as outsiders
Slavery and coercion
Slavery and sexuality
A commodity requiring replenishment
Slavery as an institution
Slavery in Africa
Slavery and the homestead economy
Slavery and dependent kinship
Institutionalized African slavery prior to the international slave trade?
Muslims and African Slavery
Institutionalized slavery and the Islamic world
Muslims, pagans and African slavery
The growth of the Muslim slave trade
The East African Slave Trade
East coast slaves for export
Suppliers from the hinterland
Zanzibar and the 19th century slave trade
Slaves for porterage
Tippu Tip’s slave kingdom
Slavery in Africa Today
Arabia
Mauritania
Sudan
The Atlantic Slave Trade
Origins and nature
Scale and focus of supply
African control of supply
War, slavery and African state formation
Consequences for Africa
The Ending of the Atlantic Slave Trade
Reasons for the abolition of the slave trade: material or ideological?
1) Declining profitability
2) Public opinion
Enforcing the abolition of the slave trade
“Legitimate Commerce” and the Former Slave Coast
African states and the economic challenge of legitimate commerce
Legitimate commerce and the increase of internal African slavery
The effects of European economic competition
Settlements for Freed Slaves
Sierra Leone
Liberia
READING: Gilbert and Reynolds, Africa in World History, 143-74, 183-98, 238-9.
Topic no. 6: COLONIAL CONQUEST AND AFRICAN RESISTANCE
A:
B:
Christian Missionaries in the Pre-Colonial Era
Roman Catholics
Calvinists
The Evangelical Revival and the Missionary Impact up to the Late 19th Century
Bringing light to the benighted
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C:
D:
E:
F:
G:
H:
Improving the primitive
Adapting the Christian message for Africa
Cultural translation
The limited missionary impact up to the 1870s
Missionaries: The Agents of Imperialism?
Exploration
Commerce, civilization and Christianity
The paradoxical nature of African exploration
Explorers and their motives
The heart of Africa
The Scramble for Africa
The age of imperialism
No monocausal explanations for the partition of Africa
The imperial power’s varied motives for the partition of Africa
The Berlin Conference 1884 – 1885
Pre-Colonial African Armies
Types of armies
Armament
Logistics
Strategy, tactics and leadership
The European Invaders
Military technology: the key to conquest?
The instruments of conquest
1) African colonial troops
2) Doctrine
3) Logistical capability
4) Fortifications
Interpretation of African Resistance
“Romantic reactionaries”
Active players and not simply victims
The resistance continuum
Inflation of the concept of resistance
READING: Gilbert and Reynolds, Africa in World History, 262- 85
Topic no. 7: COLONIAL RULE AND THE STRUGGLE FOR INDEPENDENCE
A:
B:
C:
The Colonial Administration
The aims of colonial administration
Trusteeship
The consolidation of colonial rule
White Settlement
Categories of settlement
Racism and its consequences
Landownership
Political power
The South African exception
The Colonial Economy
Economic development
1) Balancing the colonial budget
2) Resource endowment
3) Capital investment and technical expertise
4) Agricultural development
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D:
E:
F:
G:
H:
I:
5) Irrigation and transportation
Africa’s distorted colonial export economy
The Impact of the Colonial Economy on the People of Africa
Rural society
Labour migration
Urbanization
1) The move to the towns
2) Ties between city and countryside
3) Urban lifestyle
Demographic change
The Reasons for Decolonization from the Perspective of the Colonial Powers
The Second World War and its Consequences
The escalating cost of empire
The Intellectual Foundations of African Independence
Religion
1) Islam
2) Christianity
3) Independent churches
4) Millenarian movements
Education
Political ideologies
1) Nationalism
2) Pan-Africanism
3) Socialism
4) Democracy
Mobilizing Resistance to Colonial Rule
Women’s action
Economic action
1) Consumers
2) Producers
3) Trade unions
Political Parties and Independence Movements
Organization challenges
The transition from elite to mass parties
The Gaining of Independence
READING: Gilbert and Reynolds, Africa in World History, 286-378
Topic no. 8: INDEPENDENT AFRICA
A:
B:
C:
D:
The Political Kingdom
Independence
Post-independence panaceas and realities
Post-Independence Political Challenges
Secure democratic government
International boundaries and artificial nations
International relations
The Role of Ideology
African socialism
African capitalism
Afro-Marxism
Authoritarian Rule
One-party regimes
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E:
F:
Military rule
The Political Consequences of Economic Decline and Dependency
Economic “free-fall”
Enforced economic reform
Rising demands for democratic reform
A swing back to democratic government?
The spectre of anarchy
The Future?
READING: Gilbert and Reynolds, Africa in World History, 379-415
HI 229
Mid-Term Examination, Fall Term 2012
23 October 2012
In the Mid-Term Examination you will be required to answer the indicated number of
questions in each section from the much larger number listed below. Thus, for example,
while you have to learn 45 geographical places in Section A, only 10 will be listed for the
exam.
The material for the exam will be found in Gilbert and Reynolds, Africa in World History,
chapters 7, 8, 11, 13. Also consult the maps 7-1, 7-2, 7-3, 7-4, 7-6, 7-7, 8-1, 11-1, 11-2, and
13-1 for Section A, and the Glossary on pp. 416-27 for Section B.
A: Map questions
On a blank map of Africa, be prepared in the Mid-Term Examination to name or place ten of
the 45 following:
Rivers (5)
Congo
Limpopo
Niger
Nile
Orange
Lakes (4)
Albert
Nyasa
Tanganyika
Victoria
Seas and Oceans (4)
Atlantic
Indian
Mediterranean
Red
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Islands (4)
Madagascar
Mozambique
Pemba
Zanzibar
Cities (16)
Alexandria
Cairo
Cape Town
Gao
Harar
Jenne
Johannesburg
Khartoum
Kilwa
Kimberley
Mecca
Mogadishu
Mombasa
Tangier
Timbuktu
Tunis
Kingdoms and Empires (12)
Almoravid Empire in Africa
Asante
Hausa states
Kanem-Borno
Lesotho
Mahdist Sudan
Mali
Orange Free State
Ottoman Empire in Africa
Sokoto Caliphate
Songhay
Wolof
B: Identifications
In no more than five lines be prepared in the Mid-Term Examination to explain or identify
seven of the 35 following terms, states, groups and people:
Terms (13)
bey
Bori
Dar al-Islam
Jihad
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Kharijites
Maghreb
Mahdi
Mfecane
monsoon
pasha
ribats
Swahili
Wahhabism
States (3)
Almoravid state
Fatimid Caliphate
Ottoman Empire
Groups (6)
Boer
Fulani (Fulbe)
Griqua
Mamluks
Tuareg
Voortrekkers
People (11)
Abd al-Qadir
Ibn Battuta
Mansa Musa
Moshoeshoe
Mzilikazi
Muhammad Ali
Nongqawuse
Shaka
Sundiata
Umar Tal
Usman dan Fodio
Crops (2)
Cassava
Sorghum
C: Short Essay
In a short essay of no more than one page and a half, be prepared in the Mid-Term
Examination to answer a question on any one of the following 4 topics:
1. In what ways did the spread of Islam differ between North Africa and the West
African savannah in the period encompassing the 7th to 16th centuries C.E.?
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2. “It was the sea and the monsoon that defined the Swahili civilization of the East
African coast between 1000 and 1500 C.E.” Discuss.
3. Account for the steady expansion of European colonial power over the Ottoman
Empire in Africa and other North African states between 1500 and 1880 C.E.
4.
“Perhaps the main difference between the late-eighteen and early-nineteenth century
second-stage Boer expansion into southern Africa and the earlier first stage was that
the Africans whom they encountered in the second stage lived in large and highly
militarized states, quite different from those of the Khoikhoi.” Discuss.
Mark Allocation in the Mid-Term Examination:
A: Map. Ten questions at one mark per answer
B: Identifications. Seven questions at five marks per answer
C: Short essay. One-and-a-half page answer
Total
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=
=
=
10
35
55
=
100