HR373-6-AU-CO:
War and Society in South Africa and Britain: the Great Colonial War and its impact
2023/24
Philosophical, Historical and Interdisciplinary Studies (School of)
Colchester Campus
Autumn
Undergraduate: Level 6
ReassessmentOnly
Thursday 05 October 2023
Friday 15 December 2023
15
11 May 2022
Requisites for this module
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This module focuses on what Eric Hobsbawm called the greatest imperial war of the `Age of Empire` (1875-1914): the Boer (or South African) War of 1899-1902. It explores the manifold causes of this war – whether economic, political or geo-strategic – and provides an in-depth look at the relevant salient tensions of this time, whether those between British imperialism and Boer nationalism, Britain and rival powers or between the Boer republics and the forces associated with the development of mining capitalism in South Africa.
While the module gives due attention to the military aspects of this war, it emphasises its massive impact on society in South Africa and in Britain. Thus, we explore the war`s impact on the racial and class order of Boer-dominated society in South Africa, its catastrophic effects on Boer civilians, and the opportunities it gave to black communities to redress grievances.
We also use the war to illuminate the social and political order in Britain through such phenomena as the exposure of poverty through the recruitment process, the outpouring of patriotism at key moments, the so-called 1khaki election1 of 1900, and the anti-war movement. International responses to the war will also be dealt with.
The module aims to:
1. Provide students with a comprehensive understanding of the origins and nature of a key imperial war of the twentieth century;
2. Provide students with a framework of how to use the phenomenon of war, and the sources relating to it, as a searchlight into the structure and tensions of societies;
3. Explore how a historical conflict embeds itself in culture and memory and reverberates both nationally and internationally.
On successful completion of the module, students will have:
1. Familiarization with the central debates and sources (both secondary and primary) relating to the manifold phenomena of this major imperial war.
2. A critical appreciation of the forces making for this war, and how these relate to the origins of comparable wars.
3. An understanding of the relationship between war and society, and how the understanding so derived from the module, can be applied to other historical contexts.
For introductory reading, see:
Peter Warwick and S. B. Spies (eds), The South African War.
Elizabeth van Heyningen, The Concentration Camps of the South African War.
Bill Nasson, The Boer War.
Peter Warwick, Black People and the South African War.
These will take the form of lectures and seminars, with some occasional showing of films.
This module does not appear to have a published bibliography for this year.
Assessment items, weightings and deadlines
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Exam format definitions
- Remote, open book: Your exam will take place remotely via an online learning platform. You may refer to any physical or electronic materials during the exam.
- In-person, open book: Your exam will take place on campus under invigilation. You may refer to any physical materials such as paper study notes or a textbook during the exam. Electronic devices may not be used in the exam.
- In-person, open book (restricted): The exam will take place on campus under invigilation. You may refer only to specific physical materials such as a named textbook during the exam. Permitted materials will be specified by your department. Electronic devices may not be used in the exam.
- In-person, closed book: The exam will take place on campus under invigilation. You may not refer to any physical materials or electronic devices during the exam. There may be times when a paper dictionary,
for example, may be permitted in an otherwise closed book exam. Any exceptions will be specified by your department.
Your department will provide further guidance before your exams.
Overall assessment
Reassessment
Module supervisor and teaching staff
Prof Jeremy Krikler, email: krikjm@essex.ac.uk.
Belinda Waterman, Department of History, 01206 872313
Yes
Yes
No
Dr Ingeborg Dornan
Brunel University London
Reader in History
Available via Moodle
No lecture recording information available for this module.
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