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| Semester | fall semester 2024 |
| Course frequency | Once only |
| Lecturers | Danelle Van Zyl-Hermann (danelle.vanzyl-hermann@unibas.ch, Assessor) |
| Content | As European expansion into African territories intensified in the course of the 19th century, European officials, missionaries, soldiers and merchants widely regarded the ‘dark continent’ as disease-ridden and dangerous. Indeed, a key element of the colonial ‘civilizing mission’ was to impose Western ideas of health and hygiene on African individuals, communities, and environments, often closely linking the biological with the moral. The resulting processes of conflict, subjugation and resistance, but also cooperation, assimilation and exchange are the subject of a rich and diverse scholarship on medicine, health and healing in 19th and 20th century Africa. The goal of this course is to examine the main debates, concepts, themes, and approaches which animate this historiography. How has health-related knowledge and practices in Africa been viewed by colonial officials, European doctors, missionaries, and scholars? What are the differences between ‘traditional’ and ‘Western’ medicine, and why are some people ‘witchdoctors’ and ‘healers’ while other are ‘scientists’? How has the relationship between the individual, society, and the state, or between public health, politics, and economic imperatives changed over time? Through asking such questions, we will gain insight into the relationship between colonialism and medicine, the impact of health-related interventions on African societies and environments, and African experiences and responses in this regard. This provides insight not only into the past, but also into contemporary structures of global health, including the role of NGOs, pharmaceutical companies, and Western researchers. |
| Learning objectives | In addition to gaining an overview of health-related developments in various African contexts during the 19th and 20th centuries, the goal of the course is to practice the critical reading of scholarly texts and understanding of historical practice: examining authors’ research questions, sources and methodology, argument construction, and style – and formulating our own alternatives. The course builds on the tools and skills of historical research introduced in the Einführungskurs and equips students as they prepare to write their own research papers. |
| Bibliography | Framing texts: Shula Marks, ‘What’s Colonial about Colonial Medicine? And What has Happened to Imperialism and Health?’, Social History of Medicine, 10, 2, 1997, 205-219. Nancy Rose Hunt, ‘Health and Healing’ in John Parker and Richard Reid (eds.), The Oxford Handbook of Modern African History. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2013, 378-395. Helen Tilley, ‘Medicine, Empires, and Ethics in Colonial Africa’, AMA Journal of Ethics, 18, 7, 2016, 743-753. |
| Comments | The language of instruction is English. |
| Admission requirements | Für Studierende des BSF Geschichte im Grundstudium mit abgeschlossenem Einführungskurs Geschichte. Teilnahme an der ersten Sitzung ist obligatorisch. Die Teilnehmer:innenzahl ist auf 25 beschränkt. Bei Überbelegung werden Studierende des BSF Geschichte, die noch kein Proseminar in dem Modul absolviert haben, bevorzugt zugelassen. |
| Language of instruction | English |
| Use of digital media | No specific media used |
| Interval | Weekday | Time | Room |
|---|---|---|---|
| wöchentlich | Wednesday | 12.15-14.00 | Departement Geschichte, Seminarraum 3 |
| Modules |
Modul: Basis Neuere / Neueste Geschichte (Bachelor's degree subject: History) |
| Assessment format | continuous assessment |
| Assessment details | Assessment is based on active participation in discussions during each session as well as the completion of assignments. |
| 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 |