MA African Studies

The dissertation is a core component of all Masters programmes at SOAS. The supervised dissertation research requires the ability to work independently on an original piece of research, to demonstrate familiarity with the relevant literature and present the resulting dissertation in a clear and organised format. The research and writing of the Masters dissertation is a crucial component of Research-based Masters training.? The dissertation has a 10,000 word limit and counts for 33% of the overall degree. For details on presentation and submission dates, see the Postgraduate Taught Masters Handbook.

The module introduces students to different conceptual and methodological approaches to the study of Africa and provides a wider intellectual background for the MA African Studies programme. We will look at how Africa has been conceptualized and represented at different times and from different perspectives, and investigate different views of Africa as a physi-cal, social and cultural space. We will explore how Africa relates to its Di-aspora and the wider world, through historical links and connections, trade and migration, and new digital communication. Particular attention will be placed on colonialism and colonial legacies, as well as on recent discours-es on decolonizing currently underway in many public domains.

This module takes the Area Studies of Asia, Africa and the Middle East (AAME) as a field to be pulled into focus through the lens of the regions themselves. It achieves this through attending to questions of what the concept of area/region/nation connotes in the context of AAME and, in particular, how that concept has been mediated through the effects of colonialism and colonial forms of knowledge production. With the objective of decolonising Area Studies of AAME and of looking at its transformation both conceptually and in practice, the module brings to the fore key texts that have emerged from AAME and examines them from the perspective of geographical spaces that provide alternatives to Area Studies in the Western world.

This module outlines the development of African Philosophy in the 20th century, a discourse that hinges on the following questions: does philosophy exist in Africa? What are the specific qualities that distinguish it from Western philosophy? We will survey the trends in African philosophical thought classified under the rubrics of ethnophilosophy", "nationalist-ideological philosophy", "sage philosophy", and "professional philosophy", and discuss specific concepts with philosophical reference or resonance, such as race, time, but also development or art. Several classes will be devoted to influential contemporary philosophers, in particular Paulin Hountondji, Kwame Anthony Appiah, V.-Y. Mudimbe, Henry Odera Oruka, and Kwasi Wiredu."

This module will introduce students to postcolonial literary studies through two key conceptions of identity: race and gender. The module will engage with the contemporary postcolonial novel (to be updated yearly), as it engenders critical insight into race and racism, gender and sexual identity and their intersections. It will introduce students to the vocabulary of critical race and gender theories as well as intersectionality as part of the development of literary analytic and critical reading skills. At the end of the module, students will be proficient in literary analysis and have a familiarity with key concepts in postcolonial studies.

The module gives students a good general introduction to Contemporary African Literature(s) and to demonstrate to them some of the ways in which creative writing in the form of prose narratives, the novel, poetry, drama, etc help create an understanding of the socio-cultural, economic and political issues that define life and existence on the African continent and its diaspora. The module is also meant to help encourage students develop critical and analytical skills that move away from dominant Eurocentric and Western perspectives and to present the teaching, researching, understanding and analysis of Africa from African-centred perspectives.

This module discusses the question how language is related to the conceptions of identity and society in the African context. The module offers different perspectives on the relation between language and identity, and on the dynamics of language use in Africa.

This course offers an exploration of the formation of diasporas and their cultural politics. It looks at how diasporic subjectivities are formed through gendered aesthetic practices and performances, which can take on and signify religious, cultural, political meanings, which are in turn constantly negotiated, hybridised and re-fashioned across bodies, times and spaces.

What is migration? Is this the “age of migration”? What is Diaspora and what challenges do diasporic communities bring to modern political constructions such as the nation-state, national “imagined” communities, citizenship and their associated metaphysics of sedentarism? This course will explore these issues by critically engaging with the ways in which migration and diaspora have been understood historically and in modern and contemporary times. Different theories, approaches, and disciplinary angles will be introduced and discussed. We will also consider what de-colonising approaches to migration and diaspora might look like. By drawing on established and less charted bodies of work on migration studies, diaspora and identity, transnationalism, postcolonial and de-colonial studies the course offers an interdisciplinary approach to the emergence of diasporas, the reformulation of 'home' and the simultaneous instability and reinforcement of nation-states.

This module will complement the aims and objectives of the MA Curating Cultures degree by providing teaching which focuses on the physical spaces for works of art/artefacts across cultures. It will also be object based, providing students studying any region with transferable skills. It will further use a wide range of displayed objects, including those in SOAS collections and the Brunei Gallery as the primary teaching resource. It will thus provide students of the MA Curating Cultures programme with direct experience of diverse contemporary and historical display practices in museums, galleries and commercial spaces, as well as digital modes of display.

How might we understand art as a site of politics?  In this module we consider how visual artists and art collectives have taken positions on political change in Africa since the early twentieth century, spanning from anti-colonial resistance and the struggle against apartheid to the Arab Spring and Rhodes Must Fall movement.  Through case studies ranging from early portrait photography in West Africa to recent live art protests, we think through aesthetic approaches to the political.

This module is designed as an overview of Global Film Industries for MA Global Creative and Cultural Industries students who may or may not have a background in Film Studies. The module will focus on approaching film languages and film industries from a decolonised perspective, paying particular attention to important films, filmmakers, and film industries in Africa, Asia, Latin America, and the Middle East, and to moments of radical rupture within mainstream film culture (particularly in relation to gender).

This module explores in an interdisciplinary fashion theoretical interrogations of relationships of power, domination and resistance in the context of imperialism and colonialism in the modern period (late nineteenth-century to the present). A range of literary and filmic works from Africa, East Asia, the Middle East, South Asia, South East Asia, the Caribbean and diaspora will inform engagement with postcolonial theoretical texts relevant to the concepts underpinning colonial and decolonial representation and practice, such as empire, colony, nation, race, indigeneity, class, gender, sexuality, and the 'sublatern'. These will address the intersection between epistomology and structures and power, and how this is manifest in literary and cultural expressions, representations of colonialism and decolonisation, neo-colonialism, allowing us to explore the heterogeneous meanings, intersections and strategies of analysis that have emerged with reference to postcolonial studies.

This module is concerned with South Africa's tumultuous twentieth-century history. It commences with the reconstruction of the South African state following the end of the South African War (1899-1902), and examines the respective origins and consequences of formal segregation (1910s - 1930s) and apartheid (1940s - 1980s). It is especially concerned with the ways in which ordinary Africans negotiated daily life within the strictures of these forms of state repression. A significant part of the module is concerned with the emergence of African nationalism, resistance to apartheid, and the collapse of the apartheid state at the end of the twentieth century, a conflict that engulfed all of southern Africa.

Debating Pasts, Crafting Histories is the first of two compulsory modules for the MA in History at SOAS. Its aim is to encourage critical thinking about the discipline of history by examining the various themes, approaches, theories and research methods that have shaped and reshaped the field since the mid-twentieth century. The module has a particular focus on Asian, African and Middle Eastern pasts, and on how the modern historiographies of these regions emerged from their encounter with the West in the context of imperial power and its dissolution in the postcolonial era. Beyond the exploration of these shifting and contested historiographical terrains, it seeks too to develop key skills in research, source analysis and in the crafting of historical writing.

Crafting Histories is the second of two compulsory modules for the MA in History at SOAS. Its aim is to introduce the students to the practice of historical research by examining the various sources, approaches and research methods that have shaped and reshaped the field since the mid-twentieth century, particularly in relation to writing histories of Africa, Asia and the Middle East. We will do this through practical exercises with different kinds of sources, archival, documentary, visual, material, etc. The aim is to develop skills of research, writing and critical argument and support the students in preparing their dissertation plans. The focus is on the sources and methods we need to write histories of the 'non-West' and the development of key skills in research and in the crafting of historical writing.

This module introduces students to fundamental concepts and approaches in the study of the links between language and society. Using numerous examples, students will learn about the interplay of language with social factors such as class, gender, ethnicity and age, including how language varies and changes.

This module is made up of two main components: concepts and principles of subtitling and development of scholarship in subtitling research; and a component of practical subtitling project.

The purpose of this module is to familiarise students with the main debates in gender and development and to introduce new ways of conceptualising the field, critiquing the concept of gender as generally applied in development, and also development itself. We will study issues relevant to gender and development not usually included within the development paradigm, like the coloniality of gender. We will also discuss how the gender binaries came to be so pervasive globally. Gender here is viewed as a set of normative behavioural prescriptions that apply to men as much as to women and men and masculinities will be treated as an integral part of the field alongside women and femininities. Gender is also understood not simply as an issue of individual male-female relationships but as inherently political.

This module aims at providing a basic knowledge of the main predicaments facing development in the Middle East and North Africa region (MENA, encompassing all members of the League of Arab States, with Iran and Turkey for comparative purposes). It follows the sequence of historical development: an assessment of the key features of pre-industrial society in the area and of the impact of European imperial domination sets the scene for contrasting responses to the challenge of modernity in the 20th century. The major ideological undercurrents produced by this confrontation are examined: adaptation to vs. rejection of ‘Western’ modernity within Islam; the rise of populist nationalism and the ‘socialist’ radicalisation of ‘developmentalist’ regimes. Against the background of the ‘oil shocks’, MENA experienced economic liberalisation, with limited political liberalisation occasionally. The post-Cold War U.S. war drive turned the region into the central arena of the so-called ‘clash of civilisations’. The region’s overall anaemic long-term growth performance—except Turkey—points to massive structural problems that constitute the main factors in the Arab uprising that unfolded in 2011. The dynamics of this ongoing regional upheaval will be thoroughly examined.

This module is collaboratively designed and delivered by SOAS (Dept of Development Studies) and the Nelson Mandela School of Public Governance (NMSPG) in Cape Town. Students at each institution will convene in a classroom and lectures will be presented in person in one institution while the students at the other join remotely. The module examines the historical performance of, constraints on, and prospects for African economic development and structural change, within the context of climate change and shifting global geo-politics. It highlights the importance of unevenness and variation in policy and performance, within and between African countries. It looks at inter-sectoral linkages, industrial policy, trade, and financing levels and mechanisms. The module also examines social inequalities, labour, and health & education from a structural change perspective.
Students will be exposed to the leading scholarly expertise and practitioner experience at SOAS and the NMSPG. Students will not merely listen to lectures presented in both institutions but engage actively in group discussions with students in both classrooms, in Cape Town and London.

The module examines the historical performance of, constraints on, and prospects for African economic development and structural change, taking particular note of the context of climate change and shifting global geo-politics. It engages critically with prominent narratives of the impossibility of industrialization on the continent and it highlights how unevenness and variation in policy and performance, within and between African countries, helps shed light on the scope of the possible. It looks at inter-sectoral linkages, industrial policy, trade and the balance of payments, and financing levels and mechanisms. The module also examines social inequalities, labour, health & education, and poverty reduction from a structural change perspective. 

This module explores economic development in post-colonial Sub-Saharan Africa, bringing together macroeconomic and microeconomic perspectives. It presents theoretical and policy-relevant debates that are of interest not only to those who want to learn about Sub-Saharan Africa specifically but also to those who are seeking to develop a global understanding of economic dynamics.

This course is intended to provide both an introduction to queer theory, as well as to engage with the question of its relevance in contemporary Asia, Africa, and the Middle East. This course will use struggles for sexual self-determination as a prism through which to consider broader questions about the constitution of modernity, the proliferation of identities, rights and claims for justice, the consolidation and deconstruction of postcolonial national identities, the aspirations and anxieties of postcolonial elites, etc. These questions will be studied contextually, with topics in many weeks focusing on a single area case study, or a comparison of two or more country-contexts.

This module explores historical and contemporary dimensions of the relationship between International Law and colonialism/ imperialism.

In the first part of the course, we will consider the historical mappings of the colonial endeavour within international law as well as theoretical debates concerning colonialism, post-colonialism and neo-colonialism. In the second half, we will focus on a variety of contemporary international law issues – e.g., statehood and recognition; self-determination of peoples; failed states; administration of territory; racialisation and capitalism; and reparations- in light of the historical and theoretical perspectives introduced in the earlier part of the term.

This module offers an investigation into the theories and key texts that inform the dynamic field(s) of postcolonial, decolonial and anticolonial studies, with a specific focus on law. Whilst anticolonial uprisings are as old as the global project of Euro-American colonialism and imperialism itself, the long twentieth century saw the emergence of a body of thought that critically addressed the realities of both an enduring ‘coloniality of being’ around the world and the prospects of a Third Worldist approach to social, political and legal justice claims. This body of thought is the core preoccupation of the module, taught by a diverse team of experts in the field. No prior knowledge of law is required to attend the module.

This module aims at conceptualising a new law and development initiative for Africa by critically engaging with the traditional “law and development movement” and identifying its methodological shortcomings with respect to Africa. It examines the scope and limitations of law as an instrument of development and explores what contributions law, legal theory and legal institutions can make towards the realisation of human, economic and socio-political development in Africa.

This module explores old and new theories of law and development relevant to Africa through thematic topics that fall within the three key aspects related to development: Human Development, Socio-political development and economic development. The module applies the successes and limitations of law as an instrument of development identified in LDA I, and determines what contributions law, legal theory and legal institutions can make towards the realisation of human, economic and socio-political development in Africa.

The module has a comparative approach, examining national, regional and international perspectives of highlighted issues within an African context.

This module offers historical, theoretical and empirical perspectives on the nature and causes of conflict and its impact of on social and economic development in Africa, Asia and the Middle East over the past century, as well as memory and justice responses to violence. It emphasises the crucial linkages of conflict, memory and justice, in particular the prevalence of unaddressed or manipulated memories of violence, historical grievance and impunity as causes of further conflict.

This is a basic introductory language acquisition module for absolute beginners in the written and spoken language; students are not assumed to have any previous knowledge of the language. The module covers several basic constructions of the language, enabling students to acquire basic skills in reading, writing, comprehension and speaking.

This is a language acquisition module for students who have already studied the Language A equivalent in the previous term, or who have equivalent knowledge. This module develops knowledge of several basic constructions of the language, enabling students to develop their skills in reading, writing, comprehension and speaking.

This is an introductory language acquisition module for absolute beginners in the written and spoken language; students are not assumed to have any previous knowledge of the language.

The module covers several basic constructions of the language, enabling students to acquire basic skills in reading, writing, comprehension and speaking. Successful students will gain the ability to read and write short simple texts, and communicate on simple everyday topics. Emphasis will be placed on good pronunciation and on the social and linguistic conventions of everyday conversation.

This module develops knowledge of several basic constructions of the language, enabling students to develop their skills in reading, writing, comprehension and speaking. Successful students will gain the ability to read and write simple texts, and communicate on everyday topics. This is a language acquisition module for students who have already studied the Language A equivalent in the previous term, or who have equivalent knowledge. Students are therefore assumed to have some basic knowledge of the language or its script.

This module covers several basic constructions of the language, enabling students to acquire basic skills in reading, writing, comprehension and speaking. Successful students will gain the ability to read and write short simple texts, and communicate on simple everyday topics.

Swahili.

The module aims to develop students’ language skills through grammar work, translation, prose composition, and conversation at the lower-intermediate level. Previous knowledge of the language is consolidated and developed by further class work on linguistic structures, sentence construction, and conversation. Students are introduced to a wide range of language using diverse materials from contexts such as journalism, literature, recorded conversations, social media and so forth. Regular homework tasks reinforce the class learning, encouraging students to read, write and speak the language with more accuracy and confidence.

The module aims to develop students’ language skills through grammar work, translation, prose
composition, and conversation at the intermediate level. Previous knowledge of the language is
consolidated and developed by further class work on linguistic structures, sentence construction, and conversation. Students are introduced to a wide range of language using diverse materials from contexts such as journalism, literature, recorded conversations, social media and so forth.

The aim of the module is to deepen the student’s knowledge of Swahili through the study of texts, visual and audio productions which belong to, and are produced in, both written and oral contexts. Students will examine the use of language in the society. Themes explored include politics, religion, popular culture, literature and translation. By the end of the module, a student should have acquired an excellent understanding Swahili language and culture.

This module offers training in practical translation from English into a number of languages offered by SOAS, including Arabic, Chinese, Japanese, Persian, Turkish and Swahili. Students are expected to take one language strand, but may take two.

This module offers training in practical translation into English from a number of languages offered by SOAS including Arabic, Chinese, Persian, Turkish and Swahili. Students are expected to take one language strand, but may take two.