HIST 3650 - African Encounters with Development

Hours: 4
Has development been a blessing or a curse for Africa and Africans in the 20th century? In this course, we will examine how development programs have been conceived and carried out in the colonial and post-colonial periods, and ask how their impact on Africans’ lives has been represented and understood by African people, African governments, and international actors. This course will explore the interaction of ideas and experience—from large-scale theories to the daily practices of farmers, bureaucrats, activists, and scholars. The first half of the course will consider the “colonial roots of development,” covering themes such as agricultural improvement, migration, urban sanitation, and famine relief. In the second half of the course we will examine diverse post-colonial experiences of development, from nationalism to neoliberalism and beyond.

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HIST 3650 - African Encounters with Development