Recapping the World History Seminar “The Bullet’s a Fool, the Bayonet’s a Fine Boy: The Role of the Bayonet in the European Conquest of Africa” Conducted by Prof. John THORNTON on 12 October 2023

Prof. John THORNTON from Department of History, Boston University, was invited by the Centre for Comparative and Public History to deliver a lecture entitled “The Bullet’s a Fool, the Bayonet’s a Fine Boy: The Role of the Bayonet in the European Conquest of Africa” on 12 October 2023. The talk first provided an overview of the history of the conquest of Africa in the late nineteenth century, highlighted the role of advanced weapons such as machine guns, new light artillery, and repeating rifles. While not discounting the importance of these technological advancements, the speaker weighed the pros and cons of each weapon. Drawing from operational reports of various campaigns, he pointed out that bayonet charges often marked the turning point in the European conquest of Africa. Albeit the efficiency of the new weaponry, they rapidly depleted ammunition and demanded extensive supply chains. Furthermore, many African armies also adopted some of these advanced weapons and recruited local allies for their campaigns. In this vein, the speaker made a crucial observation that most African armies had suffered from over-reliance on firearms, leading to a decline in their hand-to-hand combat skills. Nonetheless, Ethiopia stood out as an exception, with its troops both trained and equipped for close combat.

 

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World History Seminar (2023-24)

Organisers: Centre for Comparative and Public History, Department of History, CUHK
Enquiry: 3943 8541

 

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Interdisciplinary Reading Group on Changsha Wuyi Square Documents

Thanks for the generous sponsorship from the Research Institute for the Humanities at the Chinese University of Hong Kong, a group of doctoral and master’s students from the Departments of History, and Chinese Language and Literature have formed the “Interdisciplinary Reading Group on Changsha Wuyi Square Documents”. They will organise a series of reading sessions throughout the 2023-24 academic year. Each session will invite scholars from around the world who are engaged in the study of excavated documents to share their research insights, aiming to broaden the research perspectives of the reading group members. The details of upcoming session are as follows:

For any inquiries, please contact the organisers, Mr. CHAN Wai (wchan@link.cuhk.edu.hk) or Mr. HO Kwok Shing (hokwokshing@link.cuhk.edu.hk).
For more information on the reading group and its schedule, please visit http://bit.ly/44D1TXM.

 

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Yu Ying-shih Lecture in History 2023/24

To enhance academic and cultural exchange, Chung Chi College, New Asia College and the Department of History of the University joined hands in 2007 to establish the “Yu Ying-shih Lecture in History”. This year, Professor Michael PUETT, Walter C. Klein Professor of Chinese History and Anthropology, Harvard University, has been invited as the guest speaker of the following two public lectures:

All lectures will be conducted in English. Participation in person or online via ZOOM is welcome.
For registration, please complete the online registration form on or before 27 October 2023.
For enquiries, please call at 3943 1585.

 

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Online Information Seminar for the M.A. Programme in Comparative and Public History cum Academic Talk

Please click here for online registration.
For enquiries, please call at 3943 8659.

 

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CUHK History Day 2023

Please click here for details and online registration.
For enquiries, please call at 3943 5488.

 

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For teachers and students who have information to share with the Department, please email your articles in both Chinese and English to chanfiona@cuhk.edu.hk by 4:00pm every Monday.