HIST 090T. African Nationalism and Postcolonialism: 1940-1980

In this course, we will examine the cultural, social and political history of the transition to independent Africa, including the exuberant decade that began with the independence of Ghana. We will read the key writings and speeches of major African nationalists and their African critics during that decade, including Nkrumah, Nyerere, Toure, Senghor, Fanon, Cabral and Mboya. The course will also examine the failures and challenges besetting nationalist leaders in the decade that followed, including the initial wave of military coups, the oil shock of the 1970s, the Biafran and Congo wars, and the impact of Cold War rivalries.
Concentrations: Empires and Nations, Migration, Diaspora, and Space
Eligible for BLST, GLBL-paired. Concentrations: Empires and Nations, Migration, Diaspora, and Space
Spring 2026. Burke.
Catalog chapter: History
Department website: https://swarthmore.edu/history

Access the class schedule to search for sections.