H294 - Race, Segregation, and Apartheid in Twentieth-century South Africa

This course is concerned with South Africa's tumultuous twentieth-century history. It commences with the reconstruction of the South African state following the end of the South African War (1899-1902), and examines the respective origins and consequences of formal segregation (1910s - 1930s) and apartheid (1940s - 1980s). It is especially concerned with the ways in which ordinary Africans negotiated daily life within the strictures of these forms state repression. A significant part of the course is concerned with the emergence of African nationalism, resistance to apartheid, and the collapse of the apartheid state at the end of the twentieth century, a conflict that engulfed all of southern Africa.

Objectives and learning outcomes of the module

At the end of the course, a student should be able to demonstrate…

• understand the nature of the South African state that emerged at the beginning of the twentieth century
• understand the history of segregation as a discrete historical period
• understand the origins of apartheid and its impact on the daily lives of Africans
• understand the changing ways in which scholars have written about the South African past.

Scope and syllabus

Reconstruction following the South African war; the emergence of segregation; the Great Depression and socio-economic change; the rise of African and Afrikaner nationalism; the rise of apartheid; popular culture in the age of segregation; the transformation of African nationalism and the rise of Black Consciousness; everyday life under apartheid rule; the demise of the apartheid state; Truth and Reconciliation; post-apartheid South Africa.

Method of assessment

• Analysis of secondary reading, 700 words (40%)
• One Essay of 2,500 words (60%)

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