African History Courses
Working their way through still influential imperial narratives, historians of Africa are unpacking the extensive and complex histories of Africa from east to west and north to south, consulting archaeologists and interpreting African and European records, African oral histories, and often looted material heritage still in European collections.
What has so far emerged is both a growing appreciation of the richness of the histories of the different parts of Africa, their peoples and societies, and the important recognition that the different parts of Africa have been and remain central to global history and particularly the histories of South Asia, the Middle East, Europe and the Americas.
In other words, there is much to explore: from advanced multi-faceted kingdoms and empires; longstanding maritime trading connections to the Indian Ocean and the Mediterranean; the many forms of resistance to the European enslavement of people; colonial and imperial expansions; to the wars of independence and the legacies and memories of colonial violence.
Join us to learn about and engage with the rich histories of the different parts of Africa that interest you. We offer short and long courses, online and face-to-face.
9 courses available
Pan-Africanism: The Pan-African Conferences, 1900-1945Explore the rise of Pan-Africanism, from early international gatherings to bold visions of Black and African unity, anti-colonial struggle, and global solidarity between 1900 and 1945.
Keeley Street
Fri 23 Oct 2026Apeike UmoluFull fee £79.00 Senior fee £63.00 Concession £51.00- African Economic History: Gold, Diamonds, and Social Transformation in Southern Africa, 1900-1990
Explore how gold and diamonds fuelled industrial expansion in the 20th century, shaping labour systems and entrenching segregation and apartheid in southern Africa, while transforming African life and embedding societies in global economic networks.
Keeley Street
Fri 13 Nov 2026Apeike UmoluFull fee £79.00 Senior fee £63.00 Concession £51.00 - The Boer War 1899-1902: An IntroductionDiscover the history of the Boer War 1899-1902 through gaining an understanding of how the British and Dutch came to colonise Southern Africa in the first place.
Keeley Street
Sat 21 Nov 2026T HussainFull fee £79.00 Senior fee £63.00 Concession £51.00 - Britain and the Benin Bronzes
How Britain looted the Benin Bronzes in 1897, what happened to them next, and how are museums responding to calls for their return.
Keeley Street
Fri 27 Nov 2026Barnaby PhillipsFull fee £29.00 Senior fee £23.00 Concession £19.00 - Bloody Ivory: Africa’s white gold
How demand for a finite natural commodity can have devastating environmental consequences.
Keeley Street
Mon 14 Dec 2026Barnaby PhillipsFull fee £29.00 Senior fee £29.00 Concession £19.00 - East and Central African history - a brief introduction
Want to know more about East and Central African history but not sure where to start? Join us in this course to get a footing and build knowledge and appetite for more African history!
Keeley Street
Fri 15 Jan 2027Martin JorgensenFull fee £159.00 Senior fee £127.00 Concession £103.00 - Golden Loot: Asante Treasure in the British Museum (with museum visit)
How the British Museum acquired gold regalia from the West African kingdom of Asante in the 19th century, and the debate over whether it should now return it. Tutor: Barnaby Phillips.
Keeley Street
Fri 12 Mar 2027Barnaby PhillipsFull fee £59.00 Senior fee £47.00 Concession £38.00 - Lunchtime Lecture with Barnaby Phillips: The African Kingdom of Gold - Britain and the Asante Treasure
We examine how the British looted gold regalia from the West African kingdom of Asante in the 19th century, what happened to the regalia next, and why some western museums are giving it back. Tutor: Barnaby Phillips.
Keeley Street
Fri 23 Apr 2027Barnaby PhillipsFull fee £29.00 Senior fee £23.00 Concession £19.00 - For King and Empire? Africa and WW2
About half a million Africans joined the British army in the 2nd World War. This lecture examines why they did so, and how their experiences changed them and their societies. Tutor: Barnaby Phillips
Keeley Street
Fri 14 May 2027Barnaby PhillipsFull fee £29.00 Senior fee £23.00 Concession £19.00
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