Overview

African history examines the continent as a major center of human origins, civilization, migration, trade, knowledge, culture, religion, state formation, and global connection. This textbook begins with Africa's place in the human story and moves through environmental regions, village life, ancient Egypt, Nubia, Axum, migration, Bantu-speaking peoples, West African empires, religious change, scholarship, art, philosophy, the Swahili Coast, Central and Southern African kingdoms, slavery, the African diaspora, abolition, European imperial ambitions, colonial rule, African resistance, world wars, nationalism, and Pan-Africanism.

Table of Contents

  1. Chapter 1: Studying African History
  2. Chapter 2: Africa and the Human Story
  3. Chapter 3: Africa's Geography and Environmental Regions
  4. Chapter 4: Early African Societies
  5. Chapter 5: Agriculture, Pastoralism, and Village Life
  6. Chapter 6: Climate, Environment, and Disease in African History
  7. Chapter 7: Ancient Egypt and the Nile World
  8. Chapter 8: Nubia, Kerma, and Kush
  9. Chapter 9: Carthage and North Africa
  10. Chapter 10: Axum and the Horn of Africa
  11. Chapter 11: Early Cities, Trade, and State Formation
  12. Chapter 12: Ethiopia after Axum
  13. Chapter 13: Migration and the Peopling of Africa
  14. Chapter 14: The Bantu Migrations
  15. Chapter 15: Languages, Identity, and Culture
  16. Chapter 16: Technology, Ironworking, and Innovation
  17. Chapter 17: Trade Networks before Empire
  18. Chapter 18: Women, Family, and Gender in African History
  19. Chapter 19: West Africa before Empire
  20. Chapter 20: Ghana and the Gold Trade
  21. Chapter 21: Mali and the Age of Mansa Musa
  22. Chapter 22: Timbuktu and African Intellectual Life
  23. Chapter 23: Songhai and the Last Great Sahelian Empire
  24. Chapter 24: Forest Kingdoms and Coastal States
  25. Chapter 25: Hausa City-States and Kanem-Bornu
  26. Chapter 26: Indigenous African Religions
  27. Chapter 27: Islam in Africa
  28. Chapter 28: Christianity in Africa
  29. Chapter 29: Scholarship, Education, and Knowledge Systems
  30. Chapter 30: African Art, Architecture, and Material Culture
  31. Chapter 31: African Philosophy, Science, and Medicine
  32. Chapter 32: The Swahili Coast
  33. Chapter 33: Africa and the Indian Ocean World
  34. Chapter 34: Great Zimbabwe
  35. Chapter 35: Central African Kingdoms
  36. Chapter 36: The Kingdom of Kongo
  37. Chapter 37: Southern African Societies before Colonial Rule
  38. Chapter 38: Mapungubwe and the Rise of Southern African Kingdoms
  39. Chapter 39: The Congo Basin and Inland Central Africa
  40. Chapter 40: Slavery in African History
  41. Chapter 41: The Atlantic Slave Trade
  42. Chapter 42: The Indian Ocean Slave Trade
  43. Chapter 43: African Societies in an Age of Commerce
  44. Chapter 44: The African Diaspora
  45. Chapter 45: Abolition and the End of the Slave Trades
  46. Chapter 46: Exploration, Missionaries, and Imperial Ambitions
  47. Chapter 47: The Scramble for Africa
  48. Chapter 48: Colonial Rule and Administration
  49. Chapter 49: Colonial Economies and Labor Systems
  50. Chapter 50: African Resistance and Adaptation
  51. Chapter 51: Colonial Society and Everyday Life
  52. Chapter 52: African Soldiers and the World Wars
  53. Chapter 53: African Nationalism and Pan-Africanism
  54. Chapter 54: Decolonization and Independence
  55. Chapter 55: Nation-Building and Development
  56. Chapter 56: Africa and the Cold War
  57. Chapter 57: Apartheid and Liberation in Southern Africa
  58. Chapter 58: Democracy and Governance
  59. Chapter 59: Conflict, Peace, and Reconciliation
  60. Chapter 60: Economic Development and Globalization
  61. Chapter 61: Urban Africa
  62. Chapter 62: Health, Education, and Social Change
  63. Chapter 63: The African Union and Continental Cooperation
  64. Chapter 64: Technology and Innovation
  65. Chapter 65: Africa and the World
  66. Chapter 66: Culture, Literature, and the Arts
  67. Chapter 67: Africa's Future
  68. Back Matter

Learning Outcomes