HIST 23100 - the Making of Africa

Course Credit: 1
(AFST)
From early antiquity to the late 16th century, Africa and Africans have been key players in world affairs. Ancient Egypt, Kush, Aksum, Ancient Zimbabwe, the west African empires of Ghana, Mali, Songhai, and Asante, as well as the state of Kongo in central Africa, the various Muslim dynasties in North Africa, and the Swahili citystates on the Indian Ocean coast, to name but a few examples, were the centers of this fascinating historical development. From the 16th century, the Atlantic slave trade, which lasted for at least three hundred years, destroyed African political, social, and economic institutions that sustained the continent on the world scene up to that time. As a consequence of that, this trade paved the way to the colonization of almost every single corner of Africa by European powers, beginning in the nineteenth century. In this course we will be exploring the various ways in which these developments have been shaping African societies, politics, and cultures over this long period of time. [Pre-1800, Global] [C, HSS]