Conflict and Social Change in Africa
- NINT 5279 - Conflict and Social Change in Africa (Fall 2008)
Africa's efforts to secure peace and development for Africans are persistently challenged by the prevalence of conflict and the demands of social, political and economic change. As African scholars have underscored, statemaking in Europe took centuries, while violent conflict and the practice of protectionist oriented economic models prevailed. And yet, Africa is too often assumed to be the "hopeless" continent, somehow an anomaly in global development and politics. This course seeks to unpack such assumptions, providing a rich contextual analysis of critical issues of conflict and social change in Africa, from the colonial era to the present. Analysis of thematic issues will compliment the use of conflict analysis and social change frameworks, to ensure that knowledge for practical application is gained.
By the end of the course students should:
- Be conversant in the conceptual debates of conflict analysis and social change; and,
- Understand the key challenges of conflict and change in Africa, and the social, political, economic contexts underpinning them.
Concentration:Conflict and Security