DHIS 27A28 - Sweet Enemies : an Entangled History of the British and French empires, 1750-2000

The course offers a comparative and connected history of the British and French imperial experiences, from the mid-eighteenth until the end of the twentieth century. The British and French empires are usually considered as arch-rivals. By contrast, the course will emphasize Anglo-French collaboration as a key mechanism of Western expansion overseas, and examine how the two empires often influenced each other. Special attention will be paid to ideas about race and cultural difference and how they shaped British and French colonial societies. The traditional view that the British favoured indirect rule and the French assimilation will be tested and its limits highlighted. Throughout the course, students will have the opportunity to engage with recent scholarship on European colonialism, key contemporary texts about imperial expansion and visual sources.

Séminaire

English

Spring 2023-2024

1. Oral presentation (20%): discussion of a primary source. 2. 2000-word essay (30%): a list of possible topics is provided, or you may devise a topic of your choice in consultation with the course teacher. 3. Take-home exam (50%): two 1,500-word essays, out of six possible topics.