The sweeping drama of apartheid—a system legislating the separation of people on the basis of skin color—dominates the history of modern South Africa. Race and racial difference infiltrated every aspect of South Africans’ lives throughout the twentieth century, informing the nature of politics as well as the experiences of daily life. But out of the prolonged struggle to end white supremacist rule also emerged some of the greatest leaders and thinkers of our time.

This course traces the origins of apartheid, its institutionalization in the Republic of South Africa, and the battle to dismantle it in the later-twentieth century. We will examine the political ideology and mythology of white supremacy, and the propagation of racism in law, culture, labor, and education. The class also follows resistance to apartheid, from the formation of the African National Congress (the party of Nelson Mandela), to the resurgence of the Zulu kingdom, to the use of music, religion, philosophy, public activism, and violence as forms of opposition.

Course Requirements:

Mid-term and final exams, brief writing assignments, attendance and participation

Intended Audience:

Open to students of all levels. No prior knowledge of African history or African studies required

Class Format:

Lecture with some discussion of sources