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Description
This module is for term 1 affiliate students only (students leaving in December). Questions concerning urbanisation and urbanism can take us to the heart of the flows of people, trade and resources that have shaped African History. Historically, urban settlements were often centres of political power, religious ritual and trading wealth. For centuries, African urban forms were connected to, disrupted by and reconfigured through trade with the Atlantic and Indian Oceans. Most infamous was slavery; there were also flows of spices, gold, ivory and other commodities. In the 19th and 20th centuries, a new form of urbanisation was then moulded by colonialism. Colonial urban planners imposed racial segregation; patterns of industrialisation and trade were synonymous with exploitation. Yet cities were also vibrant spaces in which new forms of popular cultural, religious and political expression thrived. This struggle for the city often lay at the heart of anti-colonial politics in the mid-20th century. In turn, post-colonial nationalists would project their power onto Africa鈥檚 cities. More recently 鈥� in the decades of economic and political uncertainty that characterised the late 20th century 鈥� cities were transformed again into uncertain, informal spaces. At the same time, global flows reconfigure urban networks, connecting Congolese traders to Paris, for instance. This course introduces students to the global and internal forces that transformed Africa and traces the historic antecedents of many of the categories that dominate (and sometimes stereotype) contemporary debates about Africa. For demographic trends and burgeoning populations suggest that the future of African society in the 21st century will be forged in its cities.
Module deliveries for 2024/25 academic year
Last updated
This module description was last updated on 8th April 2024.
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