Colonial Legacies: Namibia and Germany

In this course we will first learn about the history of German colonialism in (Southwest) Africa, including the 1904 Herero/Nama genocide, and then will move on to the challenges and obstacles in working through, acknowledging, and commemorating the colonial past in Germany and Namibia (in scholarship, public memory, diplomatic relations; activism). We will go on a 14-day trip to Germany (Bremen, Hamburg) and Namibia (Windhoek, Swakopmund) for a place-based, intercultural learning experience. There, we will explore (visible and invisible) colonial legacies and sites of colonial memory, and (through meetings with scholars of (post-)colonialism, museum practitioners, and activists) learn about ongoing conflicts stemming from colonialism and stakeholder’s strategies to find solution.