The Political Economy of Postcolonial Africa

Module Title:  The Political Economy of Postcolonial Africa

Module Leader: Dr Molly Kiniry

Overview:

How should we understand the economic choices available to the continent as a whole, and its 54 constituent states, in the 60 years since most African states became independent? What does this range of choices tell us about the continent’s security- and terror-related challenges today?

This module will explore the ways African leaders have chosen to confront the twinned economic mandates of enhancing industrialisation and combatting extreme poverty in political environs often constrained by violence and disorder. Students will be encouraged to ‘think like a state’. This module will be grounded primarily in applied history and would likely be unsuitable for students interested in a purely theoretical approach.