This course engages the issue of the reduction of West Africa to the status of colonial subjects by various European nations. It fosters an understanding of the reasons for the Europeans colonization of West Africa and the ways in which West Africa responded to colonization. It enables students to analyze the nature, and purpose of European colonial administration in West Africa, the shape of colonial economies, and the direction of economic and social developments in the European colonies of West Africa. Furthermore, the course examines the contexts for the emergence of nationalist movements in West Africa.