Tomorrow’s workshop gives you a chance to think broadly about the ideas and historical processes we’ve covered so far this quarter. Temporally, we’ve covered a lot of ground–from about 3.5 million years ago through about 1000 C.E., with glances forward to think about how our understanding of early history affects present-day debates.
So far, the course material has focused on general processes. We’ve haven’t discussed individual historical actors or even focused very closely on specific communities or groups: historic Batwa and Bantu-speaking farmers are different–and harder to apprehend–than more clearly defined villages, groups of merchants, or states.
Thinking about the processes of early human settlement, the reasons behind interaction among different societies–especially Batwa and Bantu-speakers, and the diversity of African cultures is an important foundation for asking questions about the emergence of larger-scale states and long distance trade on the shores of the Sahara–which is where we turn next.
But first, the group workshop. The comments so far on the course website tell me that several of you have a good handle on the course material and are thinking through sophisticated questions about the significance of history and the consequences of political and economic hierarchies.
I look forward to reading your responses to the workshop questions. Feel free to ask questions, either through email or here on the course page.