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.
- Asante Gold in the British Museum (with British Museum Visit)Course start date: Wed 17 Jun 2026
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Barnaby PhillipsHow 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.
Full fee £59.00 Senior fee £47.00 Concession £38.00 - African History: The Rise and Fall of Empires, c.700 to c.1700
Course start date: Fri 2 Oct 2026Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Apeike UmoluExplore 1000 years of African history, from the rise of powerful empires to the spread of new religions and Africa’s pivotal place in the global economy.
Full fee £189.00 Senior fee £189.00 Concession £123.00 - Pan-Africanism: The Pan-African Conferences, 1900-1945 Course start date: Fri 23 Oct 2026
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Apeike UmoluExplore 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.
Full fee £79.00 Senior fee £63.00 Concession £51.00 - African Economic History: Gold, Diamonds, and Social Transformation in Southern Africa, 1900-1990 Course start date: Fri 13 Nov 2026
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Apeike UmoluExplore 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.
Full fee £79.00 Senior fee £63.00 Concession £51.00 - The Boer War 1899-1902: An Introduction Course start date: Sat 21 Nov 2026
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: T HussainDiscover 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.Full fee £79.00 Senior fee £63.00 Concession £51.00 - Britain and the Benin Bronzes Course start date: Fri 27 Nov 2026
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Barnaby PhillipsHow Britain looted the Benin Bronzes in 1897, what happened to them next, and how are museums responding to calls for their return.
Full fee £29.00 Senior fee £23.00 Concession £19.00
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