Africana Studies 341PW - Power & Exchg in African Past

Did African nations become poorer in the 20th century because development initiatives were badly executed? inherently exploitative? ill-timed? Looking beyond the caricatures of evil colonial officers, lazy peasants, or greedy elites, who do we see engaged in productive activity and what are they doing? What concepts and categories illumine our understanding of their actions? How does a careful exploration of the nature of exchange and production in Africa revise our perception of the global economy in the present? We will explore three centuries of exchange in Africa and elsewhere: students may focus their research on the history of a market in any part of the world.

Prereq: 8 credits of history or other significant preparatory coursework relevant to the topic.