African History: Books

Africa and Africans keeps a watchful eye on what has happened in Africa and on what has happened in the rest of the world that shapes how people look at Africa. The world¿s perception of Africa is an entanglement of myth and reality¿both reflecting and changing with the times. This highly informative yet concise volume, written by two authors intimately familiar with Africa, presents the facts about African society¿past and present. Students wishing to explore Africa¿s historical events and rich traditions will discover that Africans want to keep what they value in their old way of life as they find themselves in an emerging global culture.

Designed as a textbook for courses in African History this survey, originally published in 1979, aims at a broader scope of history than is found in textbooks on the history of other continents. Less emphasis is given to purely political history and more to social economic and intellectual trends. It covers the history of the entire continent from earliest time right through to the end of the colonial period. (It doesn't deal with the history of contemporary Africa since independence). The Second Edition is entirely reset and redesigned and the 60-odd maps have been redrawn; and it sets the many different cultures and people of Africa in their widest context, both chronologically and geographically.

Breaking new ground in African historiography, the authors cover the period from pre-historic times to post independent Africa. Drawing on a wide range of sources, the reconstruction throws light on the economic, social and political activities of African societies before and after colonisation; and the rich African civilisations which were inward as well as outward looking. It is demonstrated that Africans were influenced by Christianity and Islam long before colonialism, and that Africa interacted with the Europeans and people from Asia in the field of trade over a long period. Sixteen chapters are prefaced by a full synopsis of the sources of African history.

Volume I of this acclaimed series is now available in an abridged paperback edition. The result of years of work by scholars from all over the world, The UNESCO General History of Africa reflects how the different peoples of Africa view their civilizations and shows the historical relationships between the various parts of the continent. Historical connections with other continents demonstrate Africa's contribution to the development of human civilization. Each volume is lavishly illustrated and contains a comprehensive bibliography.

This pivotal work, How Europe Underdeveloped Africa, had already brought a new perspective to the question of underdevelopment in Africa. his Marxist analysis went far beyond the heretofore accepted approach in the study of Third World underdevelopment.

This work challenges all the standard approaches to the saga of African history, from the dawn of prehistory to the modern resurgent Africa of today.

This book explores the major issues dominating African Civilization from the earliest recorded period to the eve of colonial conquest of the continent. C. Magbaily Fyle begins with a discussion of the myths and prejudices underlying most analyses of African issues, and moves into a discussion of the origin of humanity; the similarities between the classical Nile valley civilizations of Egypt, Nubia, Kush, and Axum; and the spread of Islam through African societies.

Combining archeological evidence and scholarly research, Davidson traces the exciting development of the rich kingdoms of the lost cities of Africa, fifteen hundred years before European ships first came to African shores.