This seminar focuses on the four countries of North Africa, or the Maghrib (Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, and Libya). The modern history of the region has been deeply marked by the experience of colonization. The French occupation of Algeria persisted for 132 years. Tunisia was also subjected to 70 years of French rule, Morocco was colonized by France for 44 years, and Libya came under Italy's tutelage for over 30 years. To understand the contemporary Maghrib, one has to study its colonial past and its impact on post-independence states and societies.
We will examine transformations of precolonial social, economic, and cultural patterns; comparative histories of colonialism and nationalism; the trajectories of postcolonial states, and recent conflicts and revolutions in the region. Through engagement with different themes relating to the colonial and postcolonial experience of the Maghrib, students will consider more general questions about the nature and consequences of colonialism.
Prerequisite: Sophomore standing or above