(x) The Bandung moment: revolution and anti-imperialism in the twentieth century

Course Material 2021/22
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In 1955, leaders of the newly independent states of Africa, Asia and the Middle East gathered in Bandung in Indonesia for a conference which they hoped would mark the beginning of a new world order.  Twenty-nine countries were present, representing over 1.3 billion people, a majority of the world’s population at the time. This course takes the 'Bandung moment' as a starting point from which to explore the theme of anti-imperialist thought and action and Afro-Asian solidarity in the global history of the twentieth century.

Anti-imperialist thought and practice in the twentieth century took on a variety of guises, in terms of its ideological underpinnings, modes of expression and ultimate aims, and is therefore ideally suited to comparative analysis. To this end, we consider anti-imperialist thought from a series of angles: revolution and violence, socialism and economic thinking, religion, culture and universal human rights, with an eye to comparisons and connections across time and space. Running through all of the classes will be an interrogation of competing ideas of freedom, its meaning and the best path towards its realization.

This course offers an introduction to global and transnational history and to the regional histories of Africa, Asia and the Middle East. It will take advantage of recent literature on the Bandung conference itself as a foundational moment in the making of the post-colonial world as well as a host of recent studies of the intellectual, cultural and social history of anti-imperialism, approached through a transnational framework of analysis. There is a wealth of source material available in English and in translation which will both provide the basis for class discussions and provide extremely rich opportunities for Long Essay projects. The published and unpublished writings and speeches of revolutionaries, intellectuals, politicians, officials and journalists will form the major body of source material, but use will also be made of images and film.

Section notice

This material is intended for current students but will be interesting to prospective students. It is indicative only.