Disease and Domination: The History of Medicine and the Colonial Encounter
| Code | School | Level | Credits | Semesters |
| HIST3063 | History | 3 | 40 | Full Year UK |
- Code
- HIST3063
- School
- History
- Level
- 3
- Credits
- 40
- Semesters
- Full Year UK
Summary
This special subject introduces students to key themes within the medical history of colonialism, particularly examining the implications of the inequitable power relations inherent in any colonial project and how these have specifically contributed to the development of health principles and policies. The module looks at the way in which western medical theories of disease and healing shaped ideas about colonial environments, populations, bodies, and racial differences in the imaginations of colonisers. Medicine is revealed not only as a vital tool of colonial domination, but also as fundamentally limited as a successful mechanism for colonial social control. At the same time, the paradox that some western medical interventions did improve the health of many sectors of the population is addressed.
Given the wide chronological and geographical breadth of the topic, a series of 'snapshots' are offered to give a flavour of important aspects of western medical colonialism. The module principally, but not exclusively, uses historical examples within the British experience in the Americas, Africa and India. Approaches to tackling the health of unfamiliar climates, as well as the way colonial medical polices were conceived and implemented are critically discussed via case studies. Finally, the module examines some of the legacies of these attitudes in the post-colonial world.
Target Students
Single and Joint Honours Students in the Department of History. Open to Liberal Arts students.
Classes
- One 3-hour seminar each week for 20 weeks
Assessment
- 30% Coursework 1: 3,000-word essay
- 30% Coursework 2: Document analysis 3,000 words
- 40% Presentation: Assessed synoptic presentation and written report, weighted 60 (presentation)/40(report)
Assessed in both autumn & spring semest
Educational Aims
To introduce students to the intertwined histories of medicine and colonialism via a wide range of sources in English, including medical policy documents, personal testimonies, literary extracts, films, music and photographs. The course aims to introduce students to the role of medicine in both facilitating and defining the colonial encounter. It will help them to develop and hone a range of skills, particularly (although not solely) through the rigorous weekly study of primary material.Learning Outcomes
Knowledge:
• have an appreciation of the different regional and chronological contexts in which colonial medical cultures develop, and can comment intelligently on the importance of these contexts
• have gained a growing understanding of how medicine is interpreted and transformed in historical contexts
• be able to critically think about how local developments are linked to broader, regional, national, or trans-national trends
• be able to critically engage with the main theoretical debates in the history of colonialism
Academic skills:
• Use and interpret primary and secondary sources, and be aware of competing interpretations of the subject
• be able to compose well-constructed historical narratives on specific topics on the history of colonial medicine drawing upon both primary and secondary literature demonstrate
• appropriate referencing and bibliographic skills
Transferable skills:
• develop skills of critical argumentation through both oral presentations and essay writing
• Manage and take responsibility for their own learning