Medieval/Early Modern Africa

Prerequisite: Any two of the following: HIST 111, HIST 112, HIST 131, HIST 132, HIST 221, HIST 222; or consent of instructor Many assume that Africa south of the Sahara was isolated from the rest of the world before European colonization. This course provides a strong corrective to that narrative, examining deeper histories of cultural and economic exchange between Africans and the world beyond. We explore religious connections; trade within the continent and across the Sahara, Indian Ocean and Atlantic Ocean; and African politics within changing global networks. We conclude by analyzing how Africa's position in the world shifted with the rise of the transatlantic slave trade, early settler colonialism, popular resistance and emergence of a global African diaspora. Students gain expertise in working with diverse primary sources, including oral traditions, travelers’ accounts, elite and ordinary Africans’ narratives, archaeological records and visual primary sources. Offered alternate years.