HI-228 Entangled Histories: Africa and Europe after 1945 (Autumn 2026)

Knowledge

• General knowledge about developments in the four areas of Euro-African histories described below, in the period ca. 1940-1990
• Deeper knowledge about one of the four areas of Euro-African histories described below, developed via a seminar paper at the end of the class
• General knowledge about key concepts of periodization and interpretation that are relevant to the class, among them "decolonization," "migration," "postcolonialism," "entangled history," etc.

Skills

• the ability to approach textual, visual, and audiovisual primary sources critically, in line with the historical method of source criticism
• the ability to reflect critically on central problems of historical research in the fields we have studied in the class
• the ability to independently analyze various approaches, theories, and methods in the relevant research literature
• the ability to formulate and discuss research questions and arguments based on relevant research literature

General Competency

• the ability to discuss historical problems with faculty and fellow students
• the ability to express thoughts about history and historical scholarship in writing
• the ability to contextualize, critically reflect, and comment on Euro-African relations and their history in the public sphere

How much "Africa" is there in "Europe," and vice versa? This course invites students to consider how European and African societies have been interconnected and, consequently, have shaped each other in the second half of the twentieth century - even, and maybe especially, at a time when Euro­pean colonial rule in Africa finally came to an end after 1945. In the course, this question of Euro-African en­tanglements and their transformations will be approached across four themes or areas of investigation:

1. Africa’s role in the process of European post-war integration;

2. African wars of national liberation and their aftermath;

3. Late colonial development politics and postcolonial cooperation;

4. Intercon­tinental migrations and cultural transfers.

Through case studies and cutting-edge historical scholarship, students will learn how to analyze these entanglements and ask critical questions about their relevance for us today. They will situate these entanglements in the historical context of decolonization, i.e., the multi-faceted, at times violent, and possibly still incom­plete transition from the prevalence of European overseas empires in Africa to a host of independent, post-imperial nation-states on both the African and the European continent after 1945. All told, the course thus centers a transregional historical perspective. While it looks both at dynamics of entanglement and disentangle­ment between Europe and Africa in the era of decoloniza­tion, it is multifocal in terms of its ap­proaches: Political, social, economic, and cultural history all are necessary to make sense of the end of em­pire and the postcolonial societies we live in today.

1. Weekly three-hour seminars with student collaboration in groups and oral participation in plenary discussions are the fundamental learning method and backbone of the course. Students are expected to attend regularly, come well-prepared, and contribute actively. The seminars will be in­terspersed with shorter lectures ("mini lectures") by the course leader whose input helps students clarify conceptual problems, understand broader historical developments, and gain insight into histo­riographical debates.
2. In addition to secondary readings, students will each week engage with at least one primary source (written, visual, audio, or audiovisual) and thus hone their source criticism skills in a continuous engagement with the overarching topic of Afro-European entangled histories.
3. Through mandatory weekly reading responses ahead of the class, which students will post on Canvas for all participants to read and respond to, they can express their understanding of the readings, ask questions, and raise topics for discussion. This will allow participants to play their part in steering both classroom discus­sions and the "mini lectures" the faculty will be offering.

During the semester, each student will submit two texts that will help them in conceiving the semester paper (exam). The first draft must contain the topic and tentative research question for the seminar paper (300 words) and be submitted about halfway through the semester. The second draft (500 words) must discuss five relevant texts and be submitted no later than four weeks after the first draft.

Continuous reading throughout the semester, documented through short weekly reading responses, is required. Students may not miss more than 25% of the responses if they wish to take the exam. Further information will be provided in Canvas at the start of the semester.

• Seminar paper (3.500 words +/- 10 percent, not counting references (footnotes or in-text citations) and the bibliography. The seminar paper will count for 70% of the grade. It will be written in one of the four areas of investigation into Euro-African histories described above. The paper will typically take a primary source as its starting point (though exceptions are possible) and should demonstrate mastery of the relevant secondary literature.
• Oral examination on all four areas of investigation in the course which will count for 30% of the grade.

Both parts of the exam must be passed to successfully conclude the course. Graded assessment (A-F).