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Semester | fall semester 2018 |
Course frequency | Once only |
Lecturers | Benjamin Brühwiler (benjamin.bruehwiler@unibas.ch, Assessor) |
Content | When Chinese President Xi Jinping visited Tanzania’s commercial capital Dar es Salaam in 2013, the focus of his speech was firmly on history. He extolled the long-standing friendly relations between East Africans and people from China going all the way back to Zheng He’s voyages to East Africa in the early 15th century. Pointing to this history of friendly relations, Xi portrayed present-day China as the benevolent facilitator of economic development to East Africa. At the same time, narratives prevalent in the West have viewed China as a neo-colonial force in (East) Africa. In this Proseminar, we attempt to challenge both of these narratives by looking at specific historical cases of Chinese involvement in East Africa. To set the stage, we discuss and evaluate pre-colonial connections across the Indian Ocean including early Chinese expeditions to East Africa. The main focus, then, is on the postcolonial period for which we examine the following topics in more depth: the construction of the Tanzania-Zambia Railway (TaZaRa), the Chinese engagement in agriculture in East Africa as well as Chinese medical assistance in the region. Please note that English is the language of instruction in this course. All of the readings are in English as well. Still, students are welcome to participate in discussions in German. Likewise, written assignments may be done in English or German. The course starts at 12:15pm on September 18, 2018. |
Bibliography | Li, Xinfeng, and Shelly Bryant. 2017. China in Africa: In Zheng He’s Footsteps. Cape Town: Human Sciences Research Council. |
Admission requirements | Für Studierende des BSF Geschichte im Grundstudium und mit abgeschlossenem Einführungskurs Geschichte. Bei Überbelegung kann die Teilnehmerzahl beschränkt werden, bevorzugt zugelassen werden Studierende des BSF Geschichte, die noch kein Proseminar in dem Modul absolviert haben. Teilnahme an der ersten Sitzung. |
Language of instruction | English |
Use of digital media | No specific media used |
Interval | Weekday | Time | Room |
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No dates available. Please contact the lecturer.
Modules |
Modul: Basis Neuere / Neueste Geschichte (Bachelor's degree subject: History) |
Assessment format | continuous assessment |
Assessment details | Aktive Teilnahme. |
Assessment registration/deregistration | Reg.: course registration; dereg.: not required |
Repeat examination | no repeat examination |
Scale | Pass / Fail |
Repeated registration | no repetition |
Responsible faculty | Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, studadmin-philhist@unibas.ch |
Offered by | Departement Geschichte |