HI 391 - The History of Southern Africa

The course examines the history of South Africa and its surrounding countries. It investigates economic and political changes and the creation of racial, ethnic, and gender identities. Topics include the relationships among San foragers, Khoi pastoralists, and Dutch settlers; Shaka Zulu; the Xhosa cattle-killing of 1857; the “mineral revolution” and migrant labor; the apartheid system; the Black Consciousness movement; and postcolonial development. The course uses a variety of sources-including literature and film-to understand how southern African history has been portrayed over the years and why those histories are important in people’s lives today.

Four credits.