Africans: The History of a Continent (African Studies, Series Number 137) 3rd Edition

This is excellent account of the broad sweep of Africa's social history, giving us deep insights into the forces that have delivered to us the Africa of today, from ancient Egypt to the present. It has a thoroughly informative analysis of the history of slavery, before during and after the Atlantic trade. The analysis of Africa's uniquely distinct demographics, and how African societies transitioned from a people-scarce continent, to what it is today, verging on the last major expansion of earth's humanity, and how this determined decolonisation and contemporary politics, is a vital body of insight. It is not a book that panders to currently correct politics, and raises deep questions about Africa in the world today. A criticism, which does not detract from its value as synthesis, is that few sources are cited, and although the important ones are there, I found myself often having to accept that questions I had would not be answered without further scholarship.

Iliffe's 'Africans' is the most distinguished and intelligent brief history of Africa yet written. Dry, and at times dense with information, it nonetheless succintly and brilliantly outlines the history of this complex and fascinating continent from earliest man to the democratic movements of the 1990s. Centred around a thesis that the key to Africa's history is population change, Iliffe weaves his tale with masterly skill. Underpopulated until the middle of the 20th century, the central feature of African history till the modern period has been a struggle for the control of scarce labour - land, by contrast, being abundant. Only with the massive population increases and urbanisation of the last fifty years have parts of the continent become over-populated, where a struggle for natural resources among an abundance of competitors has become the defining feature of African society (anyone who has spent time in the dog-eat-dog societies of Kenya or Nigeria can happily testify to this truth). This simple, somewhat tendentious but nonetheless thought-provoking thesis is the thread on which the book hangs, and is a relief from the dry, tedious and abstracted ideological and political theories which other historians have tried to apply to African history. This is a much richer book than such a summary might imply - Iliffe seems to have read every book and article ever written on African history (his Stakhanovite work methods are renowned), and politics, great men, religion, social movements all play a part in the narrative: and, as one has come to expect from Iliffe, African proverbs are studded in the text like diamonds in a tiara, illuminating and making real the events and processes on which he dwells. This is perhaps too dry a book to celebrate completely - Iliffe's Jesuitical approach to historical research lacks passion, and his powerful historian's mind perhaps takes for granted in the reader a too-deep understanding of that subject and its conventions. But ANYONE who wishs to understand more about the African continent cannot do without the learning, wisdom and intelligence that this book offers. Africa has been done a great service.

In just 300 pages the book provides a rich overview of the history of the peoples of Africa. It sheds light on so many areas and corrects a host of misconceptions I had. I enthusiastically recommend the book but I rated it only four stars because it is a slow and dense read. You will need to be highly motivated to finish it.

Book arrived in great condition!

There isnt much more for me to add to the previous reviews, but I will say that this is an excellently written book that is amazingly wide in its breadth.

NOTESWe used this book for a grad school class and it's a pretty good read but could use about 30 pages of charts and maps (at least). I have more thorough notes on this book on my blog For Unofficial Use Only.Chapters 1-6**Precolonial history is important but very little of this history is written down.******Pay attention to Iliffe's theme of social organizations and horizontal structures.***Questions: with his methodology--what are you most/least confident about?- Population is the most significant theme/framework for the author- In West Africa with trade you have a tendency to overexpand- In East Africa it's production.- Polygny is at one level rational but on another it's an enduring source of conflict- Ethiopia has a long enduring history with Christianity as a state religion; among highlanders especially there's still a large number that identify themselves as an ancient Christian state.They are also the only society to have avoided colonization (except for Italy for 7 years from 1938-1945)- Islam expansion spreads across North Africa more forcefully, whereas it filters more gently down the east and west coasts (slowest on the west coast)- Islam is more effective in pre-existing polygamous societies.- Animist religions in West Africa are perhaps more amenable to Christianity in many ways because of compatible overlaps such as replacing numerous deities with saints etc...Chapter 7Questions:What about the idea of slavery's acceptance culturally? vs. the Arab slave trade?What caused slavery? Demand overseas or existing institutions?What's the relationship today between Africa and biggest slave partners?What's the relationship between state building and enslavement?- "Secondary empires" were prevalent from slave trade (they depended on the market from guns for example)- Slave trade => peaks decades later for East Africa in the 1800s whereas this had already peaked for the Atlantic Slave trade. Perhaps the effects of the slave trade was worst in the East because of how rapid, violent and intense the peak of the slave trade came on.- Matrilineage helped Atlantic slave trade because they could steal villages/people--sell their men and absorb their women.- 19th century:Central: trading revolutionSouth: military/competition/modernization--at least in the organizationWest: Religious revolutionEast: late impact of slave trade and its impact to authority- Zulu expansion/condensing efforts led to a withdrawal of population from South African interior that opened it up for later Afrikaners.- Abolition of slavery just accelerates it elsewhere: Sokoto Caliphate has 1/3 slave populationChapters 9-10Questions:- What is the story for the African people- infrastructure or population? Which drove which at which point?*Initial railways not for economic reasons necessarily but for military and transportation of personnel...this gave way to reduced trading costs and increased trading along rail lines--an indirect and beneficial effect- What was racism's impact on colonial administrators?- What is the role of overpopulation pressures to the continent?- What's the role of the literature of adventurers like Stanley?- How are missionary efforts tied to education (and is it different) between France and Britain?- British are more economically focused whereas perhaps the French are more (broadly) strategically focused- Divergence of interests between countries and between homeland administrations and local governors on the ground- 3 schools of thought:Colonialism was destructive/changed everythingIt changed very little because Europeans couldn't control muchIliffe is in between, looking at the aims/desires of Africans and Europeans separately but inparallel- Indirect rule seeks to create bureaucracy in African communities...so choosing a leader from them steals that african leader's legitimacyChapters 10-13Early independence:Questions:- How did ruling classes respond to state that they inherited?Early response was patrimonialization since most of them inherited useless political infrastructures.- Counterfactual: What would have happened if there hadn't been a Cold War that funded and stabilized the continent initially (no borders moved etc...)One could compare the parts that were more and less affected by the Cold War.Research/thesis: Examine the level of Cold War influence. But this can be difficult when you look at francophone countries less affected by the cold war who received significant French economic support.- Professor: Cold War patronage might have been the only thing that prevented widespread anarchy and violence in the short term- No ruling classes were in a position to think long-term- Russian influence served as a counterbalance to European influence. Previous colonial powers were hesitant to abuse African countries because they didn't want to push countries toward Russia (which happened in some places).- Role of single party regimes and army"Army did not intervene in politics, they were invited in"South AfricaQuestions:Thesis/Research : Examine the role of historical apartheid on current military structure/effectiveness and foreign policy.Thesis/Research: Has circumcision rose among infants since fight against AIDS?- Story of South Africa is gold but also the size of the settler class. They've been there for 200 years...they're not from anywhere else.- You have the pre-existing conflicting between Afrikaaner settler class and British colonialAfrikaner interests are generally agricultural- Doesn't address the foundations enough...look at comparative colonialism. This is closer to South American colonialism.Role of access to land plays a pivotal role- South Africa they talked about an economy of gold and maize (play on germany's iron and rye). It's a national capitalist economy in a way that don't exist elsewhere in Africa.*Interesting role between African population, colored/Indian, and white population.- Eventually ANC will have to change because now it's both the labor and business party*18th century is when `colored' classification began4 classifications: European, Colored, Indian and African- Africaners tended to be poorer and more rural and Brits tend to be more urban and business types- System is still in place that allows people to migrate from elsewhere to farm and work.*This migrant worker economy (long term mobility) is a huge driver or HIV (you see the same thing happening in Cote D'Ivoire which also has a migrant worker economy)

Very heavy reading, but perhaps the best detailed overview of the Sub Sahara that I have ever read. Having Spent over ten years working in African Communities the detail and history lends an understanding and appreciation that is very valuable.