History 8B. Mfecane, Mines and Mandela: Southern Africa from 1600 to 2006

History 8B
Mfecane, Mines and Mandela
Professor Burke
Fall 2006

This course is a survey of the history of Southern Africa, the region of the continent which today includes the nations of South Africa, Zimbabwe, Botswana, Namibia, Mozambique, Angola, Zambia and Malawi. The focus of the course is on South Africa in particular, and on the history of the 19th and 20th Centuries.

The material will be presented through a combination of lectures and discussions of readings. The grade for the course will be based on the following: 2 short (3-5 pp.) papers, a final exam, attendance and participation. As the exam will be based on both the readings and the lectures, attendance is particularly important for success in the course.

My office is in Trotter 206, x 8115.

Required texts:
Nelson Mandela, Long Walk to Freedom
Shula Marks, Not Either an Experimental Doll
Charles Van Onselen, The Seed is Mine
Alexandra Fuller, Don’t Lets Go to the Dogs Tonight
Hermann Giliomee, The Afrikaners: Biography of a People
Adam Ashforth, Witchcraft, Violence and Democracy in South Africa
Nancy Clark and William Worger, South Africa: The Rise and Fall of Apartheid
Chinjerai Hove, Shebeen Tales

Monday September 4
Introduction and Overview

Wednesday Sept. 6
Lecture: Southern Africa before 1600

Friday Sept. 8
Lecture: Initial contacts with Europe: Portugal and the Netherlands
Blackboard reading: Portuguese documents

Monday Sept. 11
Lecture: The establishment and growth of Dutch settlement at the Cape
Hermann Giliomee, The Afrikaners

Wednesday Sept. 13
Lecture: The Western Cape in the 18th Century
Hermann Giliomee, The Afrikaners

Friday Sept. 15
Lecture: A Snapshot of Southern Africa in 1803

Monday Sept. 18
Discussion: The Mfecane
Blackboard reading: Carolyn Hamilton, ed., The Mfecane Aftermath

Wednesday Sept. 18
Discussion: The Great Trek
Hermann Giliomee, The Afrikaners

Friday Sept. 20
Lecture: Between Imperialism Old and New: Southern Africa and the World in the mid-19th Century

Monday Sept. 25
Discussion: The Xhosa Cattle-Killing
Blackboard reading: J.B. Peires, The Dead Will Arise

Wednesday Sept. 27
Discussion: Missionaries and Christianity in Southern Africa
Blackboard reading: Thomas Morgan Thomas and others
In-class film: “Zulu Zion”

Friday Sept. 29
Discussion: The Realm of the Word
Blackboard reading: Paul Landau, The Realm of the Word

Monday Oct. 2
Lecture: A Snapshot of Southern Africa in 1867
First paper due by 4pm

Wednesday Oct. 4
Lecture: Blood River to Mafeking, Kimberly to the Rand: Industrialization, War and Consolidation

Friday Oct. 6
Lecture: Cape to Cairo: The British South Africa Company and the “Scramble for Africa”

Monday Oct 9
Lecture: The Roots of Segregation and Afrikaner Nationalism
Hermann Giliomee, The Afrikaners

Wednesday Oct 11
Discussion: The Cultural and Social World of Migrancy
Handout: Hellman, “Rooiyard” and Meyer, “Town and Tribesman”
In-class film showing: “Songs of the Adventurers”

Friday Oct. 13
Discussion: Indirect rule
Blackboard reading: Michael Crowder, The Flogging of Phineas Macintosh; Charles Rey, Monarch of All I Survey

FALL BREAK

For the next several weeks, we have a very heavy set of readings. Please plan accordingly. Read Not Either an Experimental Doll over break.

Monday Oct 23
Discussion: Lives Across the Color Line
Lily Patience Moya, Not Either an Experimental Doll, all

Wednesday Oct 25
Discussion: The Origins of Resistance
Nelson Mandela, Long Walk to Freedom, pp. 1-140

Friday Oct 27
Lecture: Snapshot of Southern Africa in 1948
Hermann Giliomee, The Afrikaners
In-class film showing: “African Jim” and “Song of Africa”

Monday Oct. 30
Lecture: The Establishment of Apartheid
Nancy Clark and William Worger, The Rise and Fall of Apartheid

Wednesday November 1
Discussion: The World Apartheid Made I
Van Onselen, The Seed Is Mine, Chapter 1-15

Friday Nov. 3
Discussion: The World Apartheid Made II
Scheduled film showing: “Mapantsula”
In-class film showing: “Maids and Madams”

Monday. Nov. 6
Discussion: The World Apartheid Made III
Nancy Clark and William Worger, The Rise and Fall of Apartheid

Wednesday Nov. 8
Discussion: Resistance to Apartheid: ANC to Black Consciousness
Mandela, Long Walk to Freedom, pp. 141-448

Friday Nov. 10
Lecture: War and Decolonization North of the Limpopo
Scheduled film showing: “Flame”

Monday Nov. 13
Discussion: White People in the Twilight of Empire
Alexandra Fuller, Don’t Let’s Go to the Dogs Tonight, pp. 3-240 (finish the book if you can: I think you’ll want to)

Wednesday Nov. 15
Lecture: Botswana, Zimbabwe, Mozambique 1980-2006

Friday Nov. 17
Discussion: Everyday Life in Zimbabwe
Chinjerai Hove, Shebeen Tales, all
Scheduled film showing: “Jit”

Monday Nov. 20
Lecture: The End of Apartheid
Nancy Clark and William Worger, The Rise and Fall of Apartheid
Mandela, Long Walk to Freedom, pp. 511-559

Wednesday Nov. 22
Lecture: Freedom and its Discontents
Mandela, Long Walk to Freedom, pp. 559-626
In-class film showing: “Hugh Masakela Homecoming Concert”

THANKSGIVING BREAK

Monday Nov. 27
Discussion: The Truth Commission
Blackboard readings: TRC excerpts
Scheduled film showing: “Long Night’s Journey Into Day”
In-class film showing: “The Guguletu Seven”
Second paper due

Wednesday Nov. 29
Discussion: 21st Century Southern Africa
Adam Ashforth, Witchcraft, Violence and Democracy in South Africa

Friday December 1
Discussion: South Africa in 2006
Blackboard readings: Madam and Eve, news stories, blogs

Monday December 4
Lecture: The Failure of Zimbabwe
Blackboard readings: web selections

Wednesday Dec. 6
New Chances, Old Choices

Friday Dec. 8
Final exam review session

FINAL EXAM

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1 Response to History 8B. Mfecane, Mines and Mandela: Southern Africa from 1600 to 2006

  1. Miles says:

    It looks like an interesting course. I’m looking forward to it.

Comments are closed.