57799 - History and Institutions of Sub-Saharan Africa

Learning outcomes

The course will discuss the politics and economics of Sub-Saharan Africa countries, by means of the study of the colonial policies, of the dynamics of transformation of African societies and of the process of formation of the independent states. The study will be made in a comparative way with a specific attention to the characteristics of colonial exploitation, to the formation of resistance and organisation of nationalism, to the modes of social transformation. The course will analyse the colonial period, the decolonisation period and the scansion of the formation and of the dynamics of the independent nation-states. In particular, the dynamics of political and economic development; the development crisis; the roots, nature and dynamics of conflicts (both civil and military) will be studied. Finally the structural problems concerning the African current situation will be discussed: poverty, AIDS, environmental crisis. The student should be able, by means of the comparative analysis, to understand both the specificity of the process of African political development and the nature of the issues, of the priorities and of the local, regional and international politics, in relation with history and international political and economic dynamics.

Course contents

The course will be divided into two modules. The first modules is valid for 6 credits and the second one is valid for 3 credits. Students whose curricula are valid for 9 credits, and students of the former degree system will have to follow the whole course and to prepare the examination on the basis of the reading list. Students whose curricula is valid for 6 credits will have to follow the first module and to prepare the examination on the basis of the reading list indicated for module one.

First module (6 credits):
The political and economic history of contemporary Sub-Saharan Africa: the XIX century; the end of the slave trade; the development of trade activities; the colonial scramble of Africa between the European powers; periodization of the colonial era and the impact of colonial systems imposed on African societies; land, production, and the circulation of people and goods in the colonial period; colonial administration and the construction of the image of Africa.
Political issues: decolonisation within the transformation of the second world war international context; the independence of African states; political and economic resources; the nation-state in Sub-Saharan Africa; democracy and processes of democratization; origins of political and social conflicts; sub-saharan Africa and globalization.

Second module (3 credits):
Demographic growth; rapid urbanisation; transformation of rural areas; conflicts over natural resources; environment and development.

Readings/Bibliography

First module: readings

A.M. Gentili, Il leone e il cacciatore. Storia dell'Africa subsahariana, Carocci, Roma, 1995

G. Mizzau, La terra degli antenati. Regime fondiario tradizionale dei coltivatori africani, F.Angeli, Milano 2001

Students are also required to read one of the following books and to write a review of no more of 800 words

Titsi Dangarembga (Zimbabwe), La nuova me, Gorée, Lesa (SI) 2007 [ed.orig: Nervous Conditions, The
Women Press, Banbury 1988]

Wole Soynka (Nigeria), Sul far del giorno, Frassinelli, 2007 [ed. orig: You must set forth at dawn, Methuen 2006]

Ken Saro-Wiwa, Sozaboy, Baldini Castaldi Dalai, 2005 [ed. orig: Sozaboy, Longman, 1994]


First and second module: readings

A.M. Gentili, Il leone e il cacciatore. Storia dell'Africa subsahariana, Carocci, Roma, 1995

G. Mizzau, La terra degli antenati. Regime fondiario tradizionale dei coltivatori africani, F.Angeli. Milano
2001

One of the following dossier:

Arrigo Pallotti (a cura di), Trasformazioni democratiche in Africa, in "afriche e orienti", n.3-4/2006, pp.4-151, compulsory essays: Graham Harrison (pp. 6-21), Carlos Oya (pp. 22-44), Cyril I. Obi (pp. 45-57), Ernest T. Mallya (pp. 58-70)

Mario Zamponi (a cura di), Occidente e Africa. Democrazia e nazionalismo dalla prima alla seconda transizione, in "afriche e orienti", numero speciale 2/2006, pp.3-228, compulsory essays: Alessandro Triulzi (pp. 7-21), Jean-Francois Bayart (pp. 36-51), Bridget O'Laughlin (pp. 131-146), Ian Phimister (pp. 163-178)

Corrado Tornimbeni e Mario Zamponi (a cura di), Terra e risorse naturali in Africa. Quali diritti?, in "afriche e orienti", numero speciale 2007, compulsory essays: Philip Woodhouse (pp. 8-19), Deborah Potts (pp. 54-66), William Wolmer (pp.81-94), Corrado Tornimbeni (pp. 156-166)

Instead of studiying the dossier, Erasmus students have the possibility to write a paper of no more than 4000 words. The topic of the paper should be discussed with the teacher.


Students are also required to read one of the following books and to write a review of no more of 800 words

Titsi Dangarembga (Zimbabwe), La nuova me, Gorée, Lesa (SI) 2007 [ed.orig: Nervous Conditions, The Women Press, Banbury 1988]

Wole Soynka (Nigeria), Sul far del giorno, Frassinelli, 2007 [ed. orig: You must set forth at dawn, Methuen 2006]

Ken Saro-Wiwa, Sozaboy, Baldini Castaldi Dalai, 2005 [ed. orig: Sozaboy, Longman, 1994]


Readings for students not attending lectures (6 credits)

A.M. Gentili, Il leone e il cacciatore. Storia dell'Africa subsahariana, Carocci, Roma, 1995

M. Emiliani, Petrolio, forze armate e democrazia. Il caso Nigeria, Carocci, Roma, 2004

G. Mizzau, La terra degli antenati. Regime fondiario tradizionale dei coltivatori africani, F.Angeli, Milano 2001


Readings for students not attending lectures (9 credits)

A.M. Gentili, Il leone e il cacciatore. Storia dell'Africa subsahariana, Carocci, Roma, 1995

M. Emiliani, Petrolio, forze armate e democrazia. Il caso Nigeria, Carocci, Roma, 2004

G. Mizzau, La terra degli antenati. Regime fondiario tradizionale dei coltivatori africani, F.Angeli. Milano 2001

M. Zamponi, Terra produzione, lavoro. Storia agraria dell'Africa australe, AIEP, S. Marino, 2001

Teaching methods

Assessment methods

Teaching tools

Office hours

See the website of Anna Maria Gentili