History and Politics of Sub-Saharan Africa
A.Y. 2023/2024
Learning objectives
At the end of the course, the student should know the different dynamics of the transition from peripheral institutions functional to the colonial "motherlands" to the independent state in Africa. He/She will be able to distinguish differences and congruences between the different colonial European matrices. In facing the economic phenomena of post-colonial exploitation of the rich resources of the continent, he/she will be able to identify the emergence of adaptive political dynamics or conflict by African leaderships and in international relations, as well as the reactive mechanisms of mobilization from below, from the liberations movements from the latest settler colonies regimes, up to the contemporary migratory exit option, primarily infra- and then inter-continental, by populations. The student will incorporate the conceptual tools necessary to understand and critically analyze the dynamics of contemporary Africa, inserting them as learned in the previous three years between historical, political, legal-international and social guidelines. It must also have acquired a critical sense and a certain autonomy in managing the sources of this complex matter
Expected learning outcomes
The aim of the interview is to assess the methodological and critical skills acquired by the student. In particular, it will assess the students' ability to use literature and to reason on the debates in course and those developed during the classes.
Attending students are encouraged to substitute the three cases (see the bibliography) with a presentation on whatever argument tied to the post-independence period, on a bibliography agreed in advance with the professor, to be presented during one of the last 5 lessons.
L'obiettivo del colloquio è quello di valutare le competenze metodologiche e critiche acquisite dallo studente. In particolare, si valuterà la capacità degli studenti di utilizzare la letteratura e di ragionare sui dibattiti in corso e su quelli sviluppati durante le lezioni. Gli studenti partecipanti sono incoraggiati a sostituire i tre casi (come da programma) con una presentazione su qualsiasi argomento legato al periodo successivo alle indipendenze, su una bibliografia concordata in anticipo con la docente, da presentare durante una delle ultime 5 lezioni
Attending students are encouraged to substitute the three cases (see the bibliography) with a presentation on whatever argument tied to the post-independence period, on a bibliography agreed in advance with the professor, to be presented during one of the last 5 lessons.
L'obiettivo del colloquio è quello di valutare le competenze metodologiche e critiche acquisite dallo studente. In particolare, si valuterà la capacità degli studenti di utilizzare la letteratura e di ragionare sui dibattiti in corso e su quelli sviluppati durante le lezioni. Gli studenti partecipanti sono incoraggiati a sostituire i tre casi (come da programma) con una presentazione su qualsiasi argomento legato al periodo successivo alle indipendenze, su una bibliografia concordata in anticipo con la docente, da presentare durante una delle ultime 5 lezioni
Lesson period: Third trimester
Assessment methods: Esame
Assessment result: voto verbalizzato in trentesimi
Single course
This course can be attended as a single course.
Course syllabus and organization
Single session
Responsible
Lesson period
Third trimester
Course syllabus
1st DU/
The first didactic unit aims at reaching a common level of basic knowledge of African History (5 lessons). In the second stage with the help of some essays shared with the class, the colonial impact on the concept of modernity and development will be discussed in class with peculiar attention to the use of the land/natural resources during the colonial and decolonization processes (5 lessons).
2nd DU/
The first stage of the second DU consists of the analysis of the passage from the decolonization to the development of Sub-Saharan Africa, including the intriguing challenge of the "decolonization of the mind" and of knowledge (5 lessons); the second stage of the 2nd Unit consists in the discussion of the hypotheses of neo-colonialism and/or developmentalism following the independences. Presentations proposed by the attending students related to the period between national policies, democratization, and resources management will be highly appreciated (5 lessons).
AAA: BA Erasmus students have a different program (see bibliography).
The first didactic unit aims at reaching a common level of basic knowledge of African History (5 lessons). In the second stage with the help of some essays shared with the class, the colonial impact on the concept of modernity and development will be discussed in class with peculiar attention to the use of the land/natural resources during the colonial and decolonization processes (5 lessons).
2nd DU/
The first stage of the second DU consists of the analysis of the passage from the decolonization to the development of Sub-Saharan Africa, including the intriguing challenge of the "decolonization of the mind" and of knowledge (5 lessons); the second stage of the 2nd Unit consists in the discussion of the hypotheses of neo-colonialism and/or developmentalism following the independences. Presentations proposed by the attending students related to the period between national policies, democratization, and resources management will be highly appreciated (5 lessons).
AAA: BA Erasmus students have a different program (see bibliography).
Prerequisites for admission
It is recommended, although not compulsory, to have some knowledge of modern and contemporary history and/or of history of international relations from 1400 onwards.
Teaching methods
Taught class; discussion after readings about some specific case studies to be compared; movie projection and debates. Lessons can be shared in collaboration with experts, if available in the period of the course; forum following the projection of films and documentaries are part of the evaluation of the attending students.
Teaching Resources
Slides of the presentations are shared via the website: http://cfiamingohpssa.ariel.ctu.unimi.it (FOR ATTENDING STUDENTS ONLY).
1st DU:
· R. J. Reid (2019), A HISTORY OF MODERN AFRICA: 1800 TO THE PRESENT, Wiley-Blackwell 2nd Edition
· F. Cooper (2019), AFRICA SINCE 1940: THE PAST OF THE PRESENT, 2nd Ed., Cambridge U.P.
· The use of maps is highly recommended.
2nd DU:
Attending students can substitute the following chapters with a presentation based on a selected bibliography agreed with the professor.
3 Chapters / Case-studies from:
· J. and J. Comaroff (2012), THEORY FROM THE SOUTH: OR, HOW EUROAMERICA IS EVOLVING TOWARD AFRICA, Boulder and London: Paradigm Publishers.
· M. Mamdani (1996) CITIZEN AND SUBJECT. CONTEMPORARY AFRICA AND THE LEGACY OF LATE COLONIALISM, Princeton University Press
· E. Hunter (eds.) (2016) CITIZENSHIP, BELONGING, AND POLITICAL COMMUNITY IN AFRICA: DIALOGUES BETWEEN PAST AND PRESENT, Ohio University Press.
· N. Cheeseman and J. Fisher (2020) AUTHORITARIAN AFRICA, African World Histories
BA Erasmus students' bibliography:
· Lessons' contents (Slides of the course, for attending students only)
· Reid R. J. (2019), A HISTORY OF MODERN AFRICA: 1800 TO THE PRESENT, Wiley-Blackwell 2nd Edition
· Comaroff, J. & J. (2019), THEORY FROM THE SOUTH: OR, HOW EURO AMERICA IS EVOLVING TOWARD AFRICA, Boulder and London: Paradigm Publishers (4 chapters for attending Erasmus students).
1st DU:
· R. J. Reid (2019), A HISTORY OF MODERN AFRICA: 1800 TO THE PRESENT, Wiley-Blackwell 2nd Edition
· F. Cooper (2019), AFRICA SINCE 1940: THE PAST OF THE PRESENT, 2nd Ed., Cambridge U.P.
· The use of maps is highly recommended.
2nd DU:
Attending students can substitute the following chapters with a presentation based on a selected bibliography agreed with the professor.
3 Chapters / Case-studies from:
· J. and J. Comaroff (2012), THEORY FROM THE SOUTH: OR, HOW EUROAMERICA IS EVOLVING TOWARD AFRICA, Boulder and London: Paradigm Publishers.
· M. Mamdani (1996) CITIZEN AND SUBJECT. CONTEMPORARY AFRICA AND THE LEGACY OF LATE COLONIALISM, Princeton University Press
· E. Hunter (eds.) (2016) CITIZENSHIP, BELONGING, AND POLITICAL COMMUNITY IN AFRICA: DIALOGUES BETWEEN PAST AND PRESENT, Ohio University Press.
· N. Cheeseman and J. Fisher (2020) AUTHORITARIAN AFRICA, African World Histories
BA Erasmus students' bibliography:
· Lessons' contents (Slides of the course, for attending students only)
· Reid R. J. (2019), A HISTORY OF MODERN AFRICA: 1800 TO THE PRESENT, Wiley-Blackwell 2nd Edition
· Comaroff, J. & J. (2019), THEORY FROM THE SOUTH: OR, HOW EURO AMERICA IS EVOLVING TOWARD AFRICA, Boulder and London: Paradigm Publishers (4 chapters for attending Erasmus students).
Assessment methods and Criteria
Students who attend 70% of the lessons are considered attending students. Non-attending students will study a more extensive bibliography to compensate for studying lessons and slides on behalf of the attending students. Erasmus triennial attending and non-attending students will be asked to present a specific program. The final assessment consists of an oral examination shared in three questions. The first is a free choice argument based on the readings indicated in the "Readings/Bibliography" section of the course program or arranged in advance with the professor (see the different programs for the triennial Erasmus attending and non-attending students). It can be substituted by the ATTENDING STUDENTS with a presentation on whatever argument tied to the post-colonial period, on a bibliography agreed upon in advance with the lecturer, to be presented in the last lessons, and opened to the class debate. The other two questions regard the rest of the program (the lessons and the textbook contents), avoiding the essays programmed for the second didactic unit.
The aim of the interview is to assess the methodological and critical skills acquired by the student, and, in particular, the students' ability to use literature and to reason on the debates developed during classes in order to expose in a convincing way the contents of the course.
In particular, it will be assessed the ability of the student to participate actively in class; such capacity, if combined with the achievement of a coherent framework of the topics developed during the lessons, the application of critical sense and suitable means of expression will be considered and evaluated with the maximum grading (27/30-30 cum laude).
Attendance, if joint to a predominantly mnemonic acquisition of course's contents and discontinuous language and logical skills will be assessed in a grading range from good (24-26/30) to satisfactory (21-23/30).
Attendance, with a minimum level of knowledge of the course contents, combined with training gaps or inadequate language and logical skills, will get a grade 'barely passing' (18-20/30).
The absence of a minimum level of knowledge of the course contents, combined with inadequate language and logical skills and training gaps, will produce a fail grading, even in spite of an assiduous attendance.
The aim of the interview is to assess the methodological and critical skills acquired by the student, and, in particular, the students' ability to use literature and to reason on the debates developed during classes in order to expose in a convincing way the contents of the course.
In particular, it will be assessed the ability of the student to participate actively in class; such capacity, if combined with the achievement of a coherent framework of the topics developed during the lessons, the application of critical sense and suitable means of expression will be considered and evaluated with the maximum grading (27/30-30 cum laude).
Attendance, if joint to a predominantly mnemonic acquisition of course's contents and discontinuous language and logical skills will be assessed in a grading range from good (24-26/30) to satisfactory (21-23/30).
Attendance, with a minimum level of knowledge of the course contents, combined with training gaps or inadequate language and logical skills, will get a grade 'barely passing' (18-20/30).
The absence of a minimum level of knowledge of the course contents, combined with inadequate language and logical skills and training gaps, will produce a fail grading, even in spite of an assiduous attendance.
SPS/13 - AFRICAN HISTORY AND INSTITUTIONS - University credits: 6
Lessons: 40 hours
Professor:
Fiamingo Cristiana
Professor(s)
Reception:
The professor receives students at the end of the lessons or by appointment e-mailing to [email protected] to organize a Ms-Teams call or an in-presence meeting, if necessary.
Ist floor, room 10, via Conservatorio 7