African History

A Very Short Introduction

De: John Parker, Richard Rathbone

Narrado por: Dion Graham

This Very Short Introduction looks at Africa's past and reflects on the changing ways it has been imagined and represented, both in Africa and beyond. The author illustrates important aspects of Africa's history with a range of fascinating historical examples, drawn from over five millennia across this vast continent. The multitude of topics that the listener will learn about in this succinct work include the unity and diversity of African cultures, slavery, religion, colonial conquest, the diaspora, and the importance of history in understanding contemporary Africa. The book examines questions such as: Who invented the idea of "Africa"? How is African history pieced together, given such a lack of documentary evidence? How did Africa interact with the world 1,000 years ago?

Africa has been known as "the cradle of mankind", and its recoverable history stretches back to the Pharaohs. But the idea of studying African history is itself new, and the authors show why it is still contested and controversial. This VSI, the first concise work of its kind, will prove essential for anyone interested in the African continent and the diversity of human history.

©2007 John Parker and Richard Rathbone (P)2021 Tantor

General not too detailed

Overall enjoyed it but could have been better. The timelines jump around towards the end. The opening starts off well. I still would recommend for anyone looking to gain more insight about African history.

This book should be titled “African Historiography”

I decided to listen to this because I traveled a lot in Africa and am interested in the history of the continent. Instead this book is mostly about how the vision of Africa has evolved over the centuries, especially among academic historians. If you want to learn anything about the Bantu expansion or Zulu kingdom, you will be disappointed. Instead you’ll get hot air about how Zulu identity has evolved.