North African History

Catalog description

This course is a survey of North Africa from ancient to recent times. We look closely at Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya, and Egypt as well as their often-overlooked connections to nearby African countries, including Mali and Sudan. The course highlights major topics in North African history, beginning with Ancient Egypt, Nubia and Carthage and continuing through the era of Islamic states to colonialism, independence, and recent events like the Arab Spring. We also explore North African connections and contributions to forces shaping African, European, and Middle Eastern history. In addition, we pay particular attention to the varied forms of local identities, popular cultures, gender, and political participation that defined (and redefined) the region throughout its long history.