African History: A Very Short Introduction 1st Edition

Like many of the OUP "Very Short Introduction" series, you can't really tell what the book is about from the title. This is not a survey of African history, but rather a survey of how historians, political leaders and others have interpreted African history. E.g., colonialists created an African history -- or pretended there wasn't one -- that would best serve the cause of colonialism. That is, if Africa is seen as a land of primitive, savage tribes, the colonial powers could defend their actions as just spreading civilization. Conversely, post-colonialists have often created a nationalistic view of African countries that did not exist prior to the European powers marking arbitary lines on their maps.The authors take pains to note that any statement about Africa as a whole is likely an over-generalization. The history of the Congo area, for instance, is considerably different from that of South Africa. Yet, as diverse as the regions are, the authors assert that the concept of "Africa" shouldn't be abandoned.The whole subject of African history is a difficult one for historians, or anyone, because of the lack of sources. What we know of African cities like Timbuktu is essentially what travelers wrote about them. Often, the African climate has worked to eradicate the records of what might have been there prior to 19th century European colonization. Even oral history is suspect, as oral histories are subject to change over time. This makes it difficult for those attempting to decolonize Africa to actually figure out what a particular African region was like prior to colonization. For once colonization began, the nature of the region might have changed drastically. For instance, the 1996 Rwanda genocide of the Hutu against the Tutsi is not, as depicted in Western media, a struggle between two tribes. The difference between the Hutu and the Tutsi -- genetically the same -- entirely stems from how these people were treated by German and Belgian colonialists, creating an artificial division between them that continued and worsened even after the Europeans were long gone. (It occurs to me as I write this, that this is somewhat similar to the aftermath of Ottoman colonization of Southern Slavs.)But while African history can't escape concentrating on the effects of colonialism, the authors cover other areas, e.g., the participation of African states in the slave trade -- possibly as many slaves went East as went across the Atlantic, and many slaves were transferred internally only. African history can't be discussed without discussing the slave trade, but the authors warn that there was a lot going on at the time not related to the slave trade, so it's a mistake to think of Africa as a continent of victims.History has always been more about interpretation than facts, and that's particularly true in the case of Africa.If you plan on reading any African history, or just want to understand the background of current African political issues, this book will provide needed perspective.

Note: this is an introduction to 'African History' more than an introduction to the 'History of Africa'. Readers looking for a short 'what do we know about Africa' will likely be disappointed. But a worthwhile book none-the-less.

Buy this book because it accomplishes the two prime goals of the state of African history at present anyway: information and agency. The “what” and the “who says” of the discipline which has emerged in our life time (as in “Who high jacked our Africa?”). For example, chapter one is titled “The idea of Africa” and has several subheadings such as “The invention of Africa” before going into more traditional headings such as “The lie of the land.” The last chapter is “Memory and Forgetting.” The usual information is related, and the bibliography is fantastic. All in 160 pages. Remembering how hard it is to write a good 500-word paper, the briefness of the book puts premium on content and deft phrasing. This volume is one of over 200 titles in the series, http://www.veryshortintroductions.com/. Did I say “Buy this book”?

I was a bit disappointed in this book, as I had been hoping for a summary of the history of Africa. Instead, I found I had purchased a history of the writing of African history. While major trends in the history of Africa were discussed, and as an amateur historian the delvings into how perceptions of African history have changed over the years was still interesting, I found myself thinking at the end...now what I really would like is to read a history of Africa.

Appearance: True to its name, this is a small pocket sized book from Oxford with a good and sturdy thick cover.Content: If you want a standard, linear progression of the African continent, you must walk away. This book is an small academic companion to african historical studies. Not intending to ACTUALLY speak on African history, the authors rather discuss the many problems, theories and experiences of scholars studying African history. It is an AMAZING read and it lifted the proverbial veil from my eyes. I have since gone on to deepen my knowledge of the academic study of history and its many quandries. A good read for any budding academic, geek, African Studies minor, major, student or interested persons.Categories: African Studies, History.I fully recommend this.

Eternal blessings, good customer service, not what I expected

The author spends 80% of the time on the etiology of the history of Africa, more than the history itself. The confusion is in the title. Too academic for my taste.

Africa is large and complex and African history is that multiplied many times. There was nothing easy or obvious in the topics covered by author, it all involved great scholarship and mastery of the subject. History and historiography were discussed with just enough background so the person with a casual backround could understand but also with enough depth that provided serious learning for the reader. The book dealt with a variety of topics some which I had little background or interest in, but I found them all well worth reading about.