230209 Anglophone Africa: From Empire to Decolonization (S) (SoSe 2015)

Although there had been European trading-posts dotted along the coasts of Africa since that continent had been circumnavigated for the first time by the Portuguese, Africa was the last part of the globe to experience full-scale colonization. In the concluding decades of the 19th century, various European powers, including Britain, were vying with each other in what is commonly referred to as 'the scramble for Africa'. This course will chart British efforts at colonizing large parts of Africa and the subsequent development in the various British colonies until they achieved independence, one by one, in the 1960s. Furthermore, British colonialism in Africa will be considered in comparative perspective so as to illuminate the similarities and differences between the various colonizing powers.

A complementary course entitled ‘English in Africa’ is offered by Professor Schröder, and students are highly recommended to register for both courses in conjunction.

Bibliography

Introductory Reading:
Richard J. Reid: History of modern Africa: 1800 to the present