HIST 373 - Ethnicity and Nationalism in African History

Ethnicity is one of the oldest ways of categorizing groups of people and creating solidarity in social units, but it has also proven to be one of the most persistent sources of division in the modern world. Around the globe, ethnicity has been an important factor in many conflicts of the 1990’s, and Africa is no exception. But ethnic conflict cannot be understood without reference to its historical context, to how such identities are created and why they are mobilized at particular times. This course will look at ethnicity in the context of African history. We will investigate how such identities are formed and how people become members of an ethnic group.

Credits: 3 hours
NOTE: General Honors Course.
NOTE: This course fulfills the Intercultural Interconnecting Perspective of the Liberal Studies Program.
NOTE: History major African and Middle Eastern History course.
NOTE: This course counts toward the 63-hour Liberal Arts and Sciences (LAS) graduation requirement.