History W4310
Section 001
Europe and the End of Empires: Decolonization in the 20th Century
Instructor:Matthew Connelly
623 Fayerweather Hall
854-4646
Office Hours:Wednesdays 11-1:00 and by appointment
This seminar will explore a range of perspectives on the encounter between Europe and the "Third World" in the 20th century. It will investigate historical controversies on the nature of imperialism, decolonization, and neo-colonialism through both scholarly works and fictional accounts. After a close study and spirited discussion students will offer their own analyses of a particular aspect of decolonization or post-colonial society.
Requirements include:
• Regular attendance and active participation, 20%
• One oral report on a week’s reading with a five-page written version to be distributed to the seminar in advance, 20%
• A 20-page paper addressing a historical question chosen in consultation with the instructor, 60%
The following texts are available at Book Culture and are also on reserve at Butler. Additional readings are available via e-reserves.
William Duiker, Ho Chi Minh
M.K. Gandhi, Indian Home Rule
Graham Greene, The Quiet American
Rudyard Kipling, Kim
Stephen Kotkin, Armageddon Averted
Naguib Mahfouz, Palace Walk
Edward W. Said, Culture and Imperialism
For those students who are looking for general background reading on the history of decolonization the following texts provide good introductions:
John Darwin, The End of the British Empire
John D. Hargreaves, Decolonization in Africa
R.F. Holland, European Decolonization
Jan. 23Course Introduction
30The Spirit of European Expansion and the Pleasures of Empire
Ronald Robinson and Jack Gallagher, Africa and the Victorians, 1-25
Rudyard Kipling, Kim
Feb.6"The Revolt Against the West" — An Overview
Geoffrey Barraclough, An Introduction to Contemporary History, chapters 4, 6,
Darwin, The End of the British Empire, chapter 1, 1-9
Said, introduction, chapter 1 and chapter 2, part VI, 3-61, 162-169
13World War One and the Race Question
Paul Gordon Lauren, Power and Prejudice, 75-107
R.J. Vincent, "Racial Equality," 239-254
Lothrop Stoddard, selections from The Rising Tide of Color, 3-16
Start Palace Walk
20Case Study I: Egypt
John Darwin, Britain, Egypt, and the Middle East, Part II and conclusion, 49-137
Naguib Mahfouz, Palace Walk
27The Inter-War Years: Demographic Growth and Economic Depression
R.F. Holland, European Decolonization, Part 1, 1-33
Hargreaves, chapter 2, 32-48
Geoffrey Barraclough, An Introduction to Contemporary History, chapter 3,
Paul Valéry, "The Crisis of the Mind"
March5Case Study II: India
Stanley Wolpert, "The Indian National Congress in Nationalist Perspective,"
M.K. Gandhi, Indian Home Rule
12World War Two
Christopher Thorne, selections from Allies of a Kind,
Wendell L. Willkie, selections from One World
Spring Break
26Case Study III: Indochina
William Duiker, Ho Chi Minh
April2North, South, East and West: The Cold War and Decolonization
Wm. Roger Louis and Ronald Robinson, "The Imperialism of Decolonization,"
Graham Greene, The Quiet American
9Case Study IV: The Collapse of the Soviet Union
Stephen Kotkin, Averting Armageddon
16Empires Without End? I: The Question of "Neo-Colonialism"
Peter Lyon, "The Emergence of the Third World"
John Chipman, French Power in Africa, chapter 7
Robert Gilpin, “Dependence and Economic Development”
23Empires Without End? II: “The International Community” and the New Interventionism
Kimberly Zisk Marten, Enforcing the Peace: Learning from the Imperial Past (New York: Columbia University Press, 2004)
Michael Ignatieff, Empire Lite: Nation Building in Bosnia, Kosovo, Afghanistan
30Empires Without End? III: Is the United States an Empire?
Edward W. Said, Culture and Imperialism, 282-303
Niall Ferguson, selections from Colossus