Africa and the Africans in the nineteenth century : a turbulent history / Catherine Coquery-Vidrovitch ; translated from the French by Mary Baker.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Coquery-Vidrovitch, Catherine.

Standardized Title:

Afrique et les Africains au XiXe siècle. English

Language:

English

French

Subjects (All):

Africa--History--19th century.

Africa.

History.

Physical Description:

xix, 312 pages : illustrations, maps ; 24 cm

Place of Publication:

Armonk, N.Y. : M.E. Sharpe, [2009]

Summary:

Most histories seek to understand modern Africa as a troubled outcome of nineteenth century European colonialism, but that is only a small part of the story. In this celebrated book, beautifully translated from the French edition, the history of Africa in the nineteenth century unfolds from the perspective of Africans themselves rather than the European powers.

It was above all a time of tremendous internal change on the African continent. Great jihads of Muslim conquest and conversion swept over West Africa. In the interior, warlords competed to control the internal slave trade. In the east, the sultanate of Zanzibar extended its reach via coastal and interior trade routes. In the north, Egypt began to modernize while Algeria was colonized. In the south, a series of forced migrations accelerated, spurred by the progression of white settlement.

Through much of the century African societies assimilated and adapted to the changes generated by these diverse forces. In the end, the West's technological advantage prevailed and most of Africa fell under European control and lost its independence. Yet only by taking into account the rich complexity of this tumultuous past can we fully understand modern Africa from the colonial period to independence and the difficulties of today.

Contents:

People and their environment : Africa's climate and demography. The perils of rainfall variations ; Population growth and decline ; The ecology of health ; Greater demographic disparities ; Greater mobility ; The inflow of foreigners ; A harsh environment

Political and warlike Islam : the Maghreb and West Africa before the colonial conquest. The Maghreb before the conquest ; The western Sudan at the turn of the nineteenth century ; A major focus : trans-Saharan trade ; Jihad and the religious Islam of conquest ; Adrift under western pressure : Samori

Political and merchant Islam : East Africa. Modernity as an option : Egypt ; At the crossroads of worlds : Ethiopia ; Old-style colonization : Zanzibar ; In the margins between worlds : Rabīh

Animism's resistance, openness and introversion : central-western Africa. The reformism of the coastal empires ; The peoples of the interior

The meeting of cultures : Southern Africa. Upheaval at the beginning of the nineteenth century ; Shaka and the Zulu revolution : revision of an analysis ; Lesotho : colonized bastion ; The English, the Africans, and the Boers : the genesis of segregation

Colonial intervention. The beginnings of colonial imperialism in sub-Saharan Africa ; The genesis of colonial government ; The end of colonial conquests ; Resistance ; Algeria, from revolt to colonization

The century's innovations. Slavery : a mode of production that had become dominant ; Christianity : the missionary factor in changing mentalities ; Economic and social changes : systems of production and lifestyles ; New social players : gender relations, urbanization ; Culture and the arts.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (pages 281-292) and index.

ISBN:

9780765616968

0765616963

OCLC:

241304474