HIST 141 PZ -Labor & Capitalism in Africa

Institution: Pitzer

Description: Much of what we know about contemporary Africa suggests that labor is extremely important. Control over labor has been at the center of enslavement, debt regimes, colonial extractivism, independence movements, postcolonial party politics, ethnic conflicts, and neoliberal privatization. How do we tell histories of these issues that are attentive to both larger frameworks of capitalism but based in the historical and empirical specifics of particular sites? What kinds of institutions have developed to manage labor conflicts and proletarianization? How have these institutions changed over time? What role have political authorities and governments had in shaping labor politics? This interdisciplinary seminar will explore these key questions across precolonial, colonial, and postcolonial Africa.

Prerequisite(s): See the current course schedule for registration restrictions.

For up-to-date information on current course offerings and details, please refer to the Pitzer class schedule on MyCampus2 Portal .