Genocide: African Experiences

Third year, first semester course, up to three lectures per week, at least eight tutorials.

Major themes include the roles of racism, colonialism and nationalism in the making of African genocides. The main case studies covered by the course are the extermination of the indigenous peoples of the Canary Islands in the 13th and 14th centuries by Spanish invaders, the destruction of Cape San societies in the 18th and 19th
centuries, the annihilation of Herero society by German forces in the early 20th century, the Rwandan Genocide and the recent mass killings in Darfur. Besides reflecting on the concept of genocide and contending theoretical approaches to the subject, the course will also introduce a comparative perspective by examining some of the global dimensions of the phenomenon.

Assessment: A class test counts for 20%; a long essay based on primary sources or of a historiographical nature counts for 30%; and a written examination counts for the remaining 50%.