The Bottom Line
If you want to discover whether the study of African history is for you, look no further than this excellent little book by Oxford University Press. One of the large range (this is number 160) of Very Short Introduction books in the series, Parker and Rathbone's description of African history is illuminating and though-provoking.
- Concise, erudite introduction to the subject.
- Examples from African history makes you think about the concepts described.
- Excellent coverage of the fundamentals, and suggestions as to where you should go next to discover more.
- Looks at both sides of the Eurocentric/Afrocentric debate.
- Explains why African history is at the cutting edge of modern historiographical practice.
- Some of the recommended Further Reading books are out of print.
- African History: A Very Short Introduction by John Parker and Richard Rathbone.
- Paperback, ISBN-13: 9780192802484.
- Published by Oxford University Press 2007.
- John Parker teaches African history at the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London.
- Richard Rathbone is Honorary Professor of History at the University of Wales, Aberystwyth, and Emeritus Professor in History at the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London.
- Chapter 1. The idea of Africa – looks at the question of what African history is and how we view Africa and Africans. Uses the example of the history of Jenne-jeno on the Middle Niger, to illustrate the complexities of recreating historical narrative.
- Chapter 2. Africans: diversity and unity – the diversity of African peoples, their language, government (or lack thereof), and culture are discussed, and the idea of ethnic and social groups considered (including the meaning of the colonial term 'tribes').
- Chapter 3. Africa's past: historical sources – how African historians have had to adopt a wider range of sources, not only oral traditions, but from other disciplines too.
- Chapter 4. Africa in the world – how Africans played an important part in world history before European colonialism.
- Chapter 5. Colonialism in Africa – colonial rule was much more of an interplay between African and Europeans rather than domination by Europe.
- Chapter 6. Imagining the future, rebuilding the past – describes the relation between African nationalism and the creation of historical narrative.
- Chapter 7. Memory and forgetting, past and present – looks at where developments in African history are taking us, and the strong relationship between the past and present in Africa.
Review - African History: A Very Short Introduction
I am a particular fan of Oxford's Very Short Introduction series, and look forward to new books in the list. The level of content in these books is well suited to Junior/Senior High School and Freshman College students – those who want to find out about a subject without having to delve into too many tomes – as well as the enthusiast who wants to discover something about the way in which the history of Africa and Africans is written. (The Further Reading section is great if you become hooked by a subject!) Another joy about these books is that they are small enough to slip into your pocket.
The material is presented in an intelligent and thought-provoking manner, with examples from various parts of the continent, and an exemplary overview of the issues which dominate the academic field. It highlights just how hard it is to define a history for such a diverse collection of ethnic groups, languages (over 1,500), cultures, and modern countries. The book considers the significance of the slave trade to African development and the implication of history, the input of the Diaspora, the reaction to colonialism, the propaganda of nationalism, and the innovative ways Africanists have come to deal with source material.
If you want an overview of the fundamentals for the field of African history, this Very Short Introduction is a perfect place to start.
