HIST 264 - Public Health in Africa from Empire to Ebola

The 2014-2015 Ebola epidemic in Guinea, Liberia, and Sierra Leone has served as an important reminder of the ongoing challenges that public health problems pose in Africa today-both for local governments and institutions as well as for international organizations like the World Health Organization and Doctors without Borders. This course explores the way that questions of health have shaped the African continent from the period of European colonization in the early twentieth century to today. We will explore topics such as the development of colonial public health infrastructure, the emergence of international health and development institutions during the period of African decolonization, and the continuing challenges that independent states in Africa today face dealing with both epidemic disease and preventative care. We will focus on a wide variety of public health issues, including insect-borne diseases like malaria and sleeping sickness, AIDS, cancer, malnourishment and malnutrition, infant and maternal health care, and Ebola. This course will give students a historical as well as a contemporary perspective on public health in African society and politics. In addition to our readings of leading scholars in this field, we will engage with historical documents, literature, and film. We will also continuously engage with contemporary news coverage over the course of the semester. Can count towards “Colonization and Empire,” or “Race and Indigeneity” or “Africa and Atlantic World” fields. Alternate years. (4 Credits)