Africa in World History - Softcover

Reynolds, Jonathan T.; Gilbert, Erik

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Softcover

ISBN 10: 0130929077 ISBN 13: 9780130929075

Publisher: Prentice Hall, 2003

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Rather than the typical treatment of isolation, this comprehensive survey provides a view of African history in the wider context of World History. The volume illustrates how Africans have influenced regions beyond the continent's borders, how they have been influenced from outside, and how internal African developments can be compared and contrasted to those elsewhere in the world. Identifying and presenting key debates within the field of African History, this volume encourages readers to address many oversimplified myths regarding the continent and its people. Topics include Africa and human origins, the geography and environment, north and northeast Africa in early world history, migrations, technology and culture in ancient Africa, the early Christian world, the spread of Islam, slavery and the creation of the Atlantic world, colonialism and Africa resistance, modern Africa in the global industrial economy, political change in the time of colonialism, African culture in the modern world, politics in the era of decolonization and independence and contemporary Africa. For individuals interested in a comprehensive and contemporary survey of African History.

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From the Back Cover:

This groundbreaking text is the first to examine Africa in the wider context of world history. The authors show that Africans not only have shaped their own destiny but also have played a central role in a number of grand narratives of global history. In doing so, the text encourages readers to reconsider many popular or oversimplified myths regarding Africa and Africans and to explore the many issues, controversies, and debate within the field of African study. With numerous maps, full-color photos, primary sources, timelines, and a lively, engaging narrative, Africa in World History is as vibrant and multifaceted as the continent itself.

About the Author:

Erik Gilbert. Born in Fairfax, Virginia, Erik and his family moved to Ghana in 1966, when he was two-years old. Erik subsequently lived in Nigeria, Cameroun, and Tanzania. He did his undergraduate work at the College of William and Mary, where he studied Ancient Greek. After a short stint as an ice cream scooper, bartender, and ski bum, he went to the University of Vermont where he received an MA in History. He then moved to Boston University where he received a Ph.D. in African History in 1997. His research has focused primarily on coastal East Africa and Indian Ocean trade. Indian Ocean research has taken him to Zanzibar on a Fulbright, to Yemen (where in addition to doing research in the ports, he studied Arabic at the Yemen Language Center), and to Kenya. He has taught at Casdeton State College, the University of Vermont, and is currently Associate Professor of History at Arkansas State University.

Jonathan T. Reynolds. A hopeless generalist as an undergraduate, Jonathan graduated from the University of Tennesse in 1988 with majors in Honors History, Anthropology and Ancient Mediterranean Civilizations. He completed his PhD in African History at Boston University in 1995. A specialist in West Africa and Islam, he has traveled extensively in the region since 1990—including an unsuccessful attempt at driving across the Sahara in a British car in 1994. His research has been supported by the Fulbright Foundation and the West Africa Research Association. He has taught at Bayero University, the University of Tennessee, Livingstone College (where he received the Aggrey Award for Excellence in Teaching in 1998), and Northern Kentucky University (where he received the Outstanding Junior Faculty Award in 2001). He served as the coordinator for the Southeastern Regional Seminar on African Studies from 1997 to 2000. Dr. Reynolds currently holds the rank of Associate Professor of History.

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