OVERVIEW

The course aims to examine the political organization of North African territories and their commercial and diplomatic relations with Europe in the period preceding colonialism, with particular attention to the late modern period. It will also address issues relating to the presence of European communities in the major cities of North Africa.

AIMS AND CONTENT

LEARNING OUTCOMES

The countries of Mediterranean Africa—Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya, and Egypt—have had centuries-old economic and social ties with Europe and remain important, if often controversial, interlocutors for the European Union and Italy. The course aims to provide an understanding of the historical events of these territories in the pre-colonial period, also taking into account their political relations with the Ottoman Empire and, above all, the presence of significant communities of Italian and European origin or provenance. The goal is to develop an understanding of the unique dynamics of North African history and the economic and social ties between the two shores of the Mediterranean.

AIMS AND LEARNING OUTCOMES

The course has three main objectives:

• To provide an understanding of the distinctive dynamics of North African history from a long-term perspective.
• To foster an understanding of the nature of the political, economic, and social ties between the two shores of the Mediterranean, and of the profound influence these relationships have had on both Europe and North Africa.
• To illustrate, also through the presentation of primary sources, the nature of historical research on the topics covered in the course.

PREREQUISITES

Basic knowledge of European history (primarily, but not exclusively, in relation to the Mediterranean Sea) and world history from the fifteenth century to the present day.

SYLLABUS/CONTENT

Political, social, and economic aspects of the history of North Africa and its relations with Europe from the late Middle Ages to the nineteenth century, with references also to the contemporary period.

RECOMMENDED READING/BIBLIOGRAPHY

Students attending the course may prepare for the examination using the lecture materials, supplemented by the following texts:

-           B. Scarcia Amoretti, Il mondo musulmano. Quindici secoli di storia, Carocci (Chapters I–III and the sections devoted to North Africa and the Ottoman Empire in the subsequent chapters)

-           G. Toso, Un ligure alla corte del bey. Giuseppe Raffo, un protagonista della Tunisi ottocentesca (1795-1862), Carocci.

Students who do not attend the course are required to prepare, in addition to the texts already indicated, S. Speziale (a cura di), Un Mediterraneo di migrazioni. Da Nord a Sud e da Sud a Nord tra passato e presente (XVI-XXI secolo), Città del Sole (Part I).

Students who have difficulty obtaining all or part of the indicated texts are invited to contact the professor.

TEACHERS AND EXAM BOARD