143169 KU Repression, Prisons and Punishment in African History (2021W)

Prisons were part and parcels of the European colonization of the African continent and together with various forms of repression and punishment, they were part of the re-making of colonized societies. Still, European colonial prisons were only one location of repression, for the colonization of freedom pervaded the everyday and often the most intimate life of the colonial subjects: workhouses, schools, orphanages represented a “carceral archipelago”, which blurred the boundaries between freedom and detention in the colonies.

In this course, we will explore the various forms repression, detention and punishment took in African history and reflect on the way the colonial history of detention and repression in Africa can help us refine our understanding of the nature of colonialism and the long lasting, global effects of the multifaceted forms of colonial violence.

Organisation of the sessions:
1) Welcome and general introduction
2) The contested origins of colonial imprisonment: insights from West Africa
3) Porous prisons walls: insights from British and French colonies
4) Colonial obsession with law and order, and punishment
5) Political resistance within the prisons: insights from southern African colonies
6) From segregation to gang violence: insights from South Africa
7) World War II and forgotten African prisoners in Europe
8) Extreme violence in detention camps in times of war: insights from the Kenyan Mau Mau war
9) Women in detention
10) Mental illness between walls
11) Locking up the youth and inventing colonial child soldiers
12) Brainstorming: why studying colonial detention in Africa?

At the end of this course, students will be able to:
• Describe and distinguish the multiple forms of colonial detention/repressive systems
• Critically discuss colonial detention systems in historical and comparative perspective
• Critically reflect on the notion of “freedom” in colonial societies
• Put present-days detention systems in African countries in historical perspective
• Use methodological techniques to summarize and discuss a text and formulate an argument orally and on paper
• Use various supports (films, texts etc.) to discuss and write about African history

Teaching methods:
• The syllabus will include a reading guide to help the students do the assigned readings.
• Input (and regular brainstorming) by the lecturer at the beginning of each session.
• General discussion: opportunities to discuss the readings, to ask/answer question
• Small group discussions
• Personal feedback provided on each written assignment

The first session of the course will be IN PRESENCE. As long as the University of Vienna allows it, this course will be taught in person at the Department of African Studies. Limited digital participation (hybrid teaching) will however be possible for specific and personal cases. In case of lockdown, the course will be completely digital.