African Studies

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  1. A True and Exact History of the Island of Barbados

    Richard Ligon
    Edited, with an Introduction, by Karen Ordahl Kupperman

    “Ligon’s True and Exact History of the Island of Barbados is the most significant book-length English text written about the Caribbean in the seventeenth century. [It] allows one to see the contested process behind the making of the Caribbean sugar/African slavery complex. Kupperman is one of the leading scholars of the early modern Atlantic world. . . . I cannot think of any scholar better prepared to write an Introduction that places Ligon, his text, and Barbados in an Atlantic historical context. The Introduction is quite thorough, readable, and accurate; the notes [are] exemplary!”
         —Susan Parrish, University of Michigan

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  2. Afro-Latino Voices

    Edited by Kathryn Joy McKnight & Leo J. Garofalo

    "A groundbreaking book . . . provides a broad and rich sampling of documents recording the early modern voices of the African diaspora. . . . Wills, testaments, letters, and historical chronicles are some of the sources that scholars from various disciplines present in this anthology. . . . Each scholar provides a meticulous contextualization of the historical, social, cultural, and political circumstances surrounding the production of each document. The trilingual presentation allows the reader to see the rhetorical style of archival documents in the original language. Additionally, the maps ensure that students have a clear understanding of the geography and historical sites relevant to the range of texts included in the book." —Margaret Olsen, Macalester College

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  3. Afro-Latino Voices, Shorter Edition

    Edited by Kathryn Joy McKnight & Leo J. Garofalo

    Ideally suited for use in broad, swift-moving surveys of Latin American and Caribbean history, this abridgment of McKnight and Garofalo's Afro-Latino Voices: Narratives from the Early Modern Ibero-Atlantic World, 1550-1812 (2009) includes all of the English translations, introductions, and annotation created for that volume.

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  4. King Leopold's Congo and the "Scramble for Africa"

    Michael A. Rutz

    Series: Passages: Key Moments in History

     "King Leopold of Belgium's exploits up the Congo River in the 1880s were central to the European partitioning of the African continent. The Congo Free State, Leopold’s private colony, was a unique political construct that opened the door to the savage exploitation of the Congo's natural and human resources by international corporations. The resulting ‘red rubber’ scandal—which laid bare a fundamental contradiction between the European propagation of free labor and ‘civilization’ and colonial governments’ acceptance of violence and coercion for productivity’s sake—haunted all imperial powers in Africa. Featuring a clever introduction and judicious collection of documents, Michael Rutz’s book neatly captures the drama of one king’s quest to build an empire in Central Africa—a quest that began in the name of anti-slavery and free trade and ended in the brutal exploitation of human lives. This volume is an excellent starting point for anyone interested in the history of colonial rule in Africa." —Jelmer Vos, University of Glasgow

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  5. Seven Myths of Africa in World History

    David Northrup
    Series Editors: Alfred J. Andrea and Andrew Holt

    Series: Myths of History

    "Northrup’s highly accessible book breaks through the most common barriers that readers encounter in studying African history. Each chapter takes on a common myth about Africa and explains both the sources of the myth and the research that debunks it. These provocative chapters will promote lively discussions among readers while deepening their understanding of African and world history. The book is strengthened by its incorporation of actors and issues representing the African diaspora and African Americans in particular." —Rebecca Shumway, College of Charleston

    "This is a very good book. . . . Northup uses the seven myths formula to address some major issues in African historiography. These range from addressing older debates about whether Africa has a history at all, to Ethiopian exceptionalism, to the effects of long distance trade, to ethnic formation, to the Afro-pessimist-Afro-optimist debate. His approach to these topics is wide ranging. . . . All of this is delivered in an accessible, jargon-free, undergraduate-friendly style. . . . Perhaps the best thing about the book is that it does not stop with confronting popular misconceptions and myth making about Africa. It also addresses debates within the discipline. . . . Using material from this book would be a way to expose students to debates within the field and help to dispel the notion that there is an agreed upon narrative about Africa’s past." —Erik Gilbert, Arkansas State University, in International Journal of African Historical Studies

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  6. Sunjata

    Translated, with Introduction and Notes, by David Conrad
    From a Performance by Djanka Tassey Condé

    "Thanks to his careful editing and translating of Condé's narrative, Conrad offers a highly readable version of the epic that is about a third of its original length. The translation communicates not only the poetic qualities and the essential events of the Sunjata legend but also the master bard's performance values. Thus, this rendering will fascinate those who already know the story and culture and those coming to the epic for the first time. Conrad provides an excellent introduction to Mande oral tradition, the role of the griot, and the Manding belief system. Though he makes no claim for this as the complete scholarly edition, he does provide helpful scholarly notes, a glossary, and a good bibliography. . . . Summing up: Highly recommended." —L. W. Yoder, CHOICE

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  7. Sunjata: A New Prose Version

    Edited and Translated, with an Introduction, by David C. Conrad

    "After existing orally for hundreds of years, Sunjata was written down in the twentieth century. David Conrad, who recorded a new version of the epic, has now crafted a prose translation that preserves the oral flavor of live performance. The result is a captivating work of literature that will finally give the story of Sunjata its well-deserved place among the great epics of world literature."
         —Martin Puchner, Byron and Anita Wien Professor of Drama and of English and Comparative Literature, Harvard University

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  8. The Haitian Revolution

    Edited and Translated, with an Introduction, by David Geggus

    "A landmark collection of documents by the field's leading scholar. This reader includes beautifully written introductions and a fascinating array of never-before-published primary documents. These treasures from the archives offer a new picture of colonial Saint-Domingue and the Haitian Revolution. The translations are lively and colorful." —Alyssa Sepinwall, California State University San Marcos

    "Extraordinary . . . offers a fascinating window into the slave uprising that began in Saint-Dominique in 1791 and culminated with the emergence of an independent black Haiti in 1803. . . . [Geggus] offers more detailed coverage than Laurent Dubois and John D. Garrigus's Slave Revolution in the Caribbean, 1789-1804: A brief History with Documents (Bedford/St. Martin's, 2006) by providing twice the number of primary documents. . . . The introduction is crisp and concise. . . . Summing up: Essential."
    —B.N. Newman, Virginia Commonwealth University, in CHOICE

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  9. The Political Thought of African Independence

    Edited, with an Introduction, by Gregory Smulewicz-Zucker
    With the Assistance of Chelsea Schields

    "A great accomplishment. Not only does Smulewicz-Zucker's anthology bring together a diverse array of sources (54 in total), it also weaves together what are more or less canonical sources in twentieth-century African political thought with many unexpected, yet equally rich and illuminating, items. Smulewicz-Zucker has chosen material from all of the continent’s major regions, including . . . documents from more than two-dozen different countries, international and regional organizations, and conferences. Moreover, he has organized the material in a way that creates an engaging and powerful narrative articulating the complicated history of African independence. This outstanding collection will surely find its way into undergraduate courses in fields as diverse as African history, international relations, comparative politics, and even political theory."  —Jeffrey Ahlman, Smith College

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  10. Treatise on Slavery: Selections from De Instauranda Aethiopum Salute

    Alonso de Sandoval
    Edited and Translated, with an Introduction, by Nicole von Germeten

    "Not only are the translations very well done; Von Germeten's notes and annotations are excellent, demonstrating a real sensibility for the African backgrounds of those to whom Sandoval ministered. . . she does a very fine job of addressing African histories and raising questions that emanate out of Africa, rather than seeing the enslaved simply as incipient Americans. Strongly recommended for Colonial Latin American surveys as well as for Atlantic History and African Diapora courses."
         —James Sweet, Department of History, University of Wisconsin

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  11. White War, Black Soldiers

    Bakary Diallo & Lamine Senghor
    Translated by Nancy Erber and William Peniston
    Edited, with an Introduction and Annotations, by George Robb

    "White War, Black Soldiers is a terrific read, from start to finish, and addresses such an important gap in our knowledge about Africa, Africans, and WWI. The editors offer a rich, balanced and nuanced account not just of the historical contexts in which to read these texts but also of how we should approach them—in all their complexity. Diallo’s text nicely defies a neat postcolonial reading and helps us appreciate the historical contingencies and variations of interwar ‘radicalism’. It also of course helps students confront the ongoing whiteness of WWI studies."
    Antoinette Burton, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

    "With a comprehensive scholarly introduction that contextualizes the service of African men within European-led colonial armies, this book presents two extremely rare personal accounts by African soldiers who fought in the First World War. The early twentieth century writings of Senegalese war veterans Bakary Diallo and Lamine Senghor, here published in English for the first time, illustrate the global nature of the conflict. This is a must-read for anyone interested in the Great War or African History."
    —Timothy Stapleton, University of Calgary, author of Africa: War and Conflict in the Twentieth Century (2018)

    "With White War, Black Soldiers, Prof. George Robb has provided us with both important primary documents (previously available only in French) and valuable historical context to dramatically improve our knowledge and understanding of the African Experience in WWI. As an Africanist who has taught world history for over two decades, I have long been frustrated by student's lack of awareness that anyone other than Europeans were involved in the first World War. This situation was exacerbated by the absence of more than a handful of brief African accounts of the conflict in Europe. By bringing the experiences and perspectives of Bakary Diallo and Lamine Senghor to an English-speaking audience, Robb has provided World Historians, Africanists, and secondary teachers alike with a valuable tool to help address this situation."
         —Jonathan Reynolds, Northern Kentucky University

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