Prison Labour & Prisoners' Rights in British West African Colonies
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- Start Date: 05 Jul 2025End Date: 05 Jul 2025Sat (Daytime): 11:00 - 16:00In PersonFull fee £49.00 Senior fee £39.00 Concession £32.00
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What is the course about?
With a significant focus on what constitutes rights in the context of the prison space, and if the prisoners (pretrials, remand, or convicts) had access to any form of rights given their limited agency behind the prison walls, this course takes a cursory look at the political economy of prison labour in British West African colonial penal system. Drawing from multiple archival sources, this course seeks to interrogate and complicate the debate on the prison being a human warehouse by examining how the prisoners in British West African colonies were mobilised as ‘development’ infrastructure to meet the ever-increasing demand for personnel to execute colonial works projects.
What will we cover?
- British West African colonies in perspective;
- Prison as a core tool of the British civilizing mission in Africa;
- Prison labour in British West African colonies,
- The political economy of prison labour in British colonial West Africa;
- what constitutes prisoners’ rights in the context of the British colonial penal system;
-the period before the 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights -UDHR by the United Nations;
- penal coloniality,
-punishment and corrective transformation;
- decoloniality of modern-day penal policy and practice in Africa
- overview.
What will I achieve?
By the end of this course you should be able to...
- students should be able to connect well with conversations on the British West African colonies;
- understand the role of prison as a potent tool of colonial projects;
- explain the nuanced features of prison labour in British West African colonies;
- critique what constitutes prisoners’ rights in the context of the British colonial penal system before and after 1948 and beyond;
- understands the concepts of penal coloniality, punishment, and corrective transformation;
-contribute to the policy debate on the call for the decoloniality of modern-day penal policy and practice in Africa.
What level is the course and do I need any particular skills?
A residual knowledge of British imperial activities in Africa will be helpful. This is not, however, an iron cast requirement - everyone is welcome to engage in this weekend workshop contact. A good standard of English and willingness to engage respectfully and constructively with new ideas/any views that may differ from your own in class are essential requirements.
How will I be taught, and will there be any work outside the class?
An illustrative sketch map of Africa will be used to help the students have a clear understanding of the geographical dynamics of the study area. PowerPoint will be used to illustrate key points and then we will be reading and discussing archival and contemporary sources (in translation). You will be encouraged to share your thoughts and ideas in a relaxed and friendly environment. Occasionally reading outside the class will be encouraged with a worksheet to complete, but is not obligatory.
Are there any other costs? Is there anything I need to bring?
There are no other expenses other than if you wish to bring note-taking materials.
When I've finished, what course can I do next?
HWH204 Kenya & Britain: The Mau Mau Uprising
HWH205 Kingship & Power Politics in Nigeria 1900-1960
HWH211 South Africa: Apartheid and the Quest for Self Determination.
Dr Sunday Ogunode holds a BA, in History and International Studies (First Class honours) and an MPhil and PhD in History. He started his university teaching career as a Graduate Fellow in 2009 and took on the position of Senior Lecturer (Assistant Professor) of African History in 2021. His research and teaching focused initially on the history of Sub-Saharan Africa and, within that, the socio-political history of Nigeria with a focus on kingship, kinship, and power politics since the pre-colonial period. More recently, he has extended his teaching and research to also encompass prisoners’ rights, prison labour, social justice, unjust imprisonment, and penal systems in modern Africa, peace/conflict studies, imperial history, and Africa’s relations with the global community. Well versed in higher education and the international research scene, Dr. Ogunode is very excited to meeting the learners of City Lit.
Please note: We reserve the right to change our tutors from those advertised. This happens rarely, but if it does, we are unable to refund fees due to this. Our tutors may have different teaching styles; however we guarantee a consistent quality of teaching in all our courses.