Africa in Global Politics

This module examines the historical and contemporary significance of Africa within the world. The habitual narrative of Africa – this vast space of 55 countries (including Western Sahara) – is that of a backdrop to the history of Europe’s Age of Exploration, which began in the late 15th century. The story is that European explorers set out to find maritime trade routes to the lucrative spice and textile markets of Asia. In this storyline, Africa and Africans are all but invisible, except as a tragic footnote when it comes to the legacy of slavery and the ‘Scramble for Africa’. This module adopts a radically different angle for investigation. Identifying our common future as one that will be deeply shaped by African processes, this module focuses on the impact of Africans across the continent and within global politics. It does this by analyzing African agency – the degree to which Africans have room to manoeuvre within the international system and exert influence – to expose a range of dynamic political, social, cultural, urban, and economic arenas that partake in the international system.