Welcome to the University of Botswana History Department |
Welcome to UB History Department
Our Aims
In line with the University of Botswana's mission 'to advance the intellectual and human resource capability of the nation and the international community, our Mission Statement is:
* To promote awareness of the past, to show the relevance of the past to the present, and thereby to open minds to the possibilities of the future
* To advance knowledge, research and preservation of inherited culture, and to communicate our findings as widely as possible
* And, to defend the place of Historical Studies, and the Arts and Humanities in general, in academic scholarship
Our Objectives
Following these aims, the objectives of History, Archaeology and Museum Studies undergraduate programmes are :
* To equip students to explain, elucidate and teach the history and/or archaeology of Botswana, Africa and the World, and the historical aspects of social, developmental and cultural subjects, and to prepare students for both further education and lifelong independent study.
* To put a premium on reading and research and making sense of diverse information, on cultural sensitivity, on critical interpretation and judgement of sources, on narrative explanation and situational analysis, on the production of interesting and usable knowledge, and on the writing of lucid and accessible reports.
* For students to appreciate and enjoy their studies sufficiently to contribute valid historical and cultural insights into discussions of public affairs, and to be able to conduct independent research and reporting.
* To promote awareness of the past, to show the relevance of the past to the present, and thereby to open minds to the possibilities of the future
UB History Department Staff and their research interests
Prof. T. Tlou , Professor of History
BA (Luther), MAT (Johns Hopkins), Cert. African Studies, MA & PhD (Wisconsin), Hon DLitt. (Luther), Hon LL.D (Ohio)
Historiography of southern Africa; reconstruction of the pre-colonial Batswana states and the history of Babirwa.
Prof. Q. N. Parsons , Professor of History
BA (London), Dip. African Studies & PhD (Edinburgh)
19th-20th century Botswana history & biography; late prehistory; Victorian & Edwardian Britain; African Diaspora entertainers; film history.
Prof. G.A. Sekgoma , Associate Professor in History
BA+CCE (UBS), MA & PhD. (Dalhousie).
Botswana's diplomacy, in particular Botswana-EEC relations. strategic structure, Front-line states versus South Africa.
Dr. R.H.K Darkwah , Senior Lecturer in History
BA (Hons) (Ghana), PhD (London)
Ethiopia in the 18th and 19th centuries; labour migration in West Africa; medical history in Lesotho; historical methodology.
Dr. B.T. Mokopakgosi , Senior Lecturer in History (On Leave of Absence)
BA+C.D.E. (UBS), M.A.(Johns Hopkins) Ph.D.(SOAS)
Mining and labour Issues in southern Africa, with special reference to Namibia.
Dr. P.T. Mgadla , Senior Lecturer in History
A.T.C (Francistown), BA+CCE (UBS), MA & PhD (Boston).
Political, educational and mission history in southern Africa with special reference to Botswana.
Dr. A. K. Segobye , Senior Lecturer in Archaeology
BA, PGDE (UB); M.Phil & PhD (Cambridge)
Farming communities in southern Africa; settlement patterns and land use in prehistoric Botswana. Archaeology and public education.
Dr. R.K.K. Molefi , Lecturer in History
BA (UB), MA & PhD (Dalhousie)
Medical history of Botswana, especially epidemics and nutrition; southern African sports history; eastern African ecology
Dr. T.D.Thapelo , Lecturer in Economic History
BA (UB), MSc, PhD (LSE, London)
Political economy of income distribution in Botswana, entitlement failures, public policy, rural underdevelopment and persistent poverty.
Dr. W.G Morapedi , Lecturer in History
BA, PGDE (UB) MA & PhD. (Essex)
Comparative agrarian and peasant studies in Africa and Latin America, with special reference to Botswana and Mexico.
Dr. A. Tsheboeng , Lecturer in Archaeology
BA (UB), MA & PhD (York)
Late farming communities human responses and contribution to environmental change in the Shashe-Limpopo basin. Resource utilization in the Okavango Delta.
Ms. M.M. Bolaane , Lecturer in History (On Study Leave)
DSE, BEd, (UB) MA (SOAS, London)
Pastoralism and development in eastern Africa; Colonial policies and land use in East Africa; Gender studies and education.
Mr. G.B. Barei , Lecturer in History (On Study Leave)
BA, PGDE (UB), MA (SOAS, London)
Political history of Botswana and contemporary chieftainship in Botswana; nationalism and Islam in North Africa; labour movements in Algeria and Tunisia.
Dr B.S. Bennett , Lecturer in History
MA (Canterbury), PhD (Cambridge)
Modern British politics; religious history, colonial Botswana; New Zealand; the British empire.
Dr. N.J. Walker , Lecturer in Museum Studies
BA Hons., BSc (Cape Town), Graduate Certificate in Museum Studies (Leicester), Ph.D. (Uppsala) Late Stone Age and Rock Art; farmer-forager interaction; heritage management and museology.
Mrs. S. Dingalo , Lecturer in Archaeology
BSc. Hons (East Anglia), MSc (London)
Late Iron Age; human responses and environmental change in the Shashe-Limpopo basin; landscape context of human activities.
Dr. C.J. Makgala , Lecturer in History
BA, PGDE (UB), MPhil & PhD (Cambridge)
Indirect Rule and Tribal public opinion in colonial Botswana; race relations in Botswana; political economy of contemporary Botswana.