The course aims to introduce students to the main theoretical frameworks and background literature in the field of modern African history. The module uses a comparative perspective on regional case studies to provide a broad overview of key issues in the social history of the African continent. It aims to familiarise students with a plurality of primary sources (visual, material, oral and textual in European and African languages) and to orientate students to the main research methods of African history.

Through debates, the presentation of innovative and challenging case studies, methodological and analytical insights, the course aims at improving students’ skills in presenting their historical research and analysis. Moreover, it is designed to refine conceptual and methodological tools in approaching colonial archives and oral sources; familiarise with the gender dimension in historical analysis; realise the heterogeneity of colonial experiences.