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78004-01 - Lecture: Histories of African Rivers (2 CP)
| Semester | spring semester 2026 |
| Course frequency | Once only |
| Lecturers | Julia Tischler (julia.tischler@unibas.ch, Assessor) |
| Content | Rivers have been central sites of historical change on the African continent. The lecture focusses on several waterways – including the Niger, the Volta, the Congo, and the Zambezi – as lenses to trace social, economic, and environmental processes in a long-term perspective. From studying trade networks and political systems centered on pre-colonial river landscapes, we move on to examples of early European explorations and trans-regional connections. Furthermore, rivers played a central role in the colonization of the continent, in terms of conquest, transport, and the exploitation of resources. Dams, irrigation systems, and electrification schemes are prominent manifestations of late-colonial developmentalism, and also marked postcolonial efforts to harness waterways for the economic growth of the new nations. In addition to social and economic developments, the lecture also enquires into local ecological knowledge and contested meanings of rivers, charting the connections between landscape, memory, and identification. Lastly, rivers will not just be looked as a background of historical change, as we will also ask how riverine ecosystems transformed under human impact. |
| Bibliography | Heather J. Hoag, Developing the Rivers of East and West Africa. An Environmental History, London: Bloomsbury, 2013. JoAnn McGregor, Crossing the Zambezi. London: James Currey, 2013. |
| Admission requirements | Für Studierende der Geschichte aller Studienfächer und -stufen, Studierende anderer Studienfächer, Hörer:innen. |
| Language of instruction | English |
| Use of digital media | No specific media used |
| Interval | Weekday | Time | Room |
|---|---|---|---|
| wöchentlich | Monday | 10.15-12.00 | Alte Universität, Hörsaal -101 |
Dates
| Date | Time | Room |
|---|---|---|
| Monday 16.02.2026 | 10.15-12.00 | Alte Universität, Hörsaal -101 |
| Monday 23.02.2026 | 10.15-12.00 | Fasnachtsferien |
| Monday 02.03.2026 | 10.15-12.00 | Alte Universität, Hörsaal -101 |
| Monday 09.03.2026 | 10.15-12.00 | Alte Universität, Hörsaal -101 |
| Monday 16.03.2026 | 10.15-12.00 | Alte Universität, Hörsaal -101 |
| Monday 23.03.2026 | 10.15-12.00 | Alte Universität, Hörsaal -101 |
| Monday 30.03.2026 | 10.15-12.00 | Alte Universität, Hörsaal -101 |
| Monday 06.04.2026 | 10.15-12.00 | Ostern |
| Monday 13.04.2026 | 10.15-12.00 | Alte Universität, Hörsaal -101 |
| Monday 20.04.2026 | 10.15-12.00 | Alte Universität, Hörsaal -101 |
| Monday 27.04.2026 | 10.15-12.00 | Alte Universität, Hörsaal -101 |
| Monday 04.05.2026 | 10.15-12.00 | Alte Universität, Hörsaal -101 |
| Monday 11.05.2026 | 10.15-12.00 | Alte Universität, Hörsaal -101 |
| Monday 18.05.2026 | 10.15-12.00 | Alte Universität, Hörsaal -101 |
| Monday 25.05.2026 | 10.15-12.00 | Pfingstmontag |
| Modules |
Modul: Areas: Afrika (Master's degree program: European History in Global Perspective) Modul: Basis Neuere / Neueste Geschichte (Bachelor's degree subject: History) Modul: Epochen der europäischen Geschichte: Neuere / Neueste Geschichte (Master's degree program: European History in Global Perspective) Modul: Sachthemen der Ethnologie (Bachelor's degree subject: Anthropology) Modul: Spezialisierung «Geschichte und Polititsche Bildung» (Master's Studies: Subject-Specific Teaching and Learning) Modul: Synthese (Master's degree subject: History) Module: Basics: History (Master's degree program: African Studies) Module: Europeanization and Globalization (Master's Studies: European Global Studies) Module: Fields: Environment and Development (Master's degree program: African Studies) Module: Fields: Knowledge Production and Transfer (Master's degree program: African Studies) |
| Assessment format | record of achievement |
| Assessment details | Written exam in the final session. |
| Assessment registration/deregistration | Reg.: course registration; dereg.: not required |
| Repeat examination | one repetition, repetition counts |
| Scale | Pass / Fail |
| Repeated registration | no repetition |
| Responsible faculty | Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, studadmin-philhist@unibas.ch |
| Offered by | Departement Geschichte |