HIST 4286 - History of Nationalisms in Africa

Credit Hours: 3

Description: From late nineteenth century to the mid-twentieth century, Africans in different regions of the continent staged protests and fiercely resisted European colonialism. These anticolonial wars culminated in the formation of nationalist movements that agitated for the independence of African countries, albeit in an uneven manner. In 1957, Ghana became the first sovereign nation in Africa to declare independence from colonial rule, and dozens of other African nations would soon follow suit. While people across the continent and the world celebrated the end of empire, it was unclear what Africa’s new nations would look like.

In the aftermath of the declaration of independence, Africans from around the continent grappled with the question: what did national sovereignty actually mean? For many, this was not only a political question, but it was also a philosophical, cultural, and moral conundrum. How would citizens of nations with boundaries that had been created by European colonizers develop a sense of shared identity and destiny? Should citizens, intellectuals and politicians communicate in European or African languages, and what were the stakes of such a decision? What would be the role of women in the independent nations? What would be the citizenship status of racial and ethnic minorities? Would political decolonization bring an end to the economic inequalities of the colonial era? Through weekly discussions of readings, and through the pursuit of in-depth individual research projects, we will investigate how Africans in newly independent nations constructed their world and their future after the end of colonial rule.