Course Details in 2026/27 Session

Module Title	LH Gender and Colonialism in African History
School	History and Cultures
Department	African Studies & Anthropology
Module Code	09 37921
Module Lead	Morenikeji Asaaju
Level	Honours Level
Credits	20
Semester	Semester 1
Pre-requisites
Co-requisites
Restrictions	None
Contact Hours	Lecture-10 hours Seminar-10 hours Guided independent study-180 hours Total: 200 hours
Exclusions
Description	This module examines the intersections of colonialism and gender. It focuses on the everyday governance of the colonial state from the perspective of the socially and historically constructed difference between women and men. We will analyse the relationship between the metropole and the colonies, including the flow of ideas and practices from colonial sites to the metropoles. More importantly, we will explore how Africans interacted with colonial governments and institutions and how gender structured interactions between and amongst Africans and the colonisers. We will identify key African social institutions used by state actors as tools for colonial state making and their roles in the definition of gendered based rights and privileges. We will also explore how the actions and decisions of Africans shaped the colonial state’s understanding of gender and gendered relations. Despite the wave of formal decolonisation in Africa in the mid and late twentieth century, students will consider some of the ramifications of colonialism, which are still experienced within contemporary African states and societies, and in international relations. The course places Africans at the centre of African history through the examination of core elements of daily life in colonial Africa. We will treat Africans as active participants in their various societies with their own collective and individual strategies to enhance their autonomy in the face of social and political crises. Students will be introduced to recent shifts in the historiography of colonialism and gender and will appraise a variety of approaches to the subject. Gender and Colonialism in African History will also deepen students’ skills in interpreting and analysing written primary source materials.
Learning Outcomes	By the end of the module students should be able to: Analyse the role of gender in the formation and governance of African colonies. Analyse gendered forms of African agency in colonial settings. Critically assess the impact of colonialism on gender relations in specific African contexts. Identify the nature and limitations of the primary sources that are available to historians in their research on colonised peoples and evaluate differing interpretations of them.
Assessment	37921-01 : 1500 word written assignment - Essay 1 : Coursework (40%) 37921-02 : 2000 word written assignment - Essay 2 : Coursework (60%)
Assessment Methods & Exceptions	Assessment: 1 x 1500 word written assignment (40%)
Other
Reading List