John Parker (4) (1960–)

It should be known by all potential readers that this is a book *about* African History, not an *African History Book.* It is an introduction to how African History is created and the way that the field in turn both creates and complicates the existence of Africa, as both a continent and a nation within which exist many, many other nations.

It necessarily therefore deals with slavery, decolonization, nation-building, and the formation of people to be recognized on the World Stage.

If there show more was one phrase that could sum up the majority of its pages, it would be "well, it's more complicated than that..." Enduring myths and historical frameworks about Africa are laid out and debunked one by one in roughly this order: Africa is a timeless continent with no history, Africa is a waste when left to its own devices, Africa is a poor and helpless victim of Empire, Africa was a place of powerful ancient states that lost its way, Africa is a decolonizing utopia, Africa is a corrupt quagmire.

It is hard to fault the authors for my disappointment given the format (a sample of the field in question given over show less

This book is really historiography rather than history. The writers discuss the way in which Africa has been perceived and the ways in which African history has been presented. It makes it very clear that history depends on who is telling the tale. The African case is particularly interesting, because Africa was not until very recently something that "historians" (that is, Western historians) thought much about. Also, the written record is thin. Not much help if you are interested in the show more facts of African history, but an interesting read. show less

This is an anthology of metahistory. The articles are not about African history on the various themes as such, but on how these themes have been handled by historians. The result is very interesting. The articles can be readily understood without a specialist knowledge of African history. Certain issues come up again and again - most of all the slave trade, but as it is illuminated from different sides, this does not feel repetitious.

Modern is understood here as from 1500, although many show more chapters say little about anything before the 19th century. This means that problems finding sources for precolonial Africa is also touched on in many chapters. show less

This aptly titled "very short introduction" was less an overview of the history of Africa, than a primer introducing the academic discipline of "African History". Here, "very short" can also be read as dense and compact, making this a slow, concentrated read. All and all, it suits its purpose well.