What's New About African History?

History News Network ^ | June 5 2006 | John Edward Philips, editor

[SunkenCiv]

Nor were written documents neglected in those days. Led by John Hunwick, R.S. O'Fahey, and others, historians increasingly tapped the many Arabic and other written documents of Islamic Africa to reconstruct the past of those societies. The Arab Literature of Africa series of catalogues, published by E. J. Brill in the Netherlands, has continued to attract attention to this formerly neglected area of the Islamic world, which has had much impact not only on other parts of Africa but even on the central Islamic lands themselves but which had been shamefully and systematically neglected in Brockelmann's monumental five volume history of Arabic literature.

[SunkenCiv]

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[SunkenCiv]

Yes, a busy morning. Will be stopping these pings any minute now.

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[eleni121]

Thanks for the reference. Of course Euro centered historiography neglects the heroic African Christian resistance to Islam over the past 1300 years...especially in North and East Africa.

[BenLurkin]

For a history of African colonization I recommend:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0380719991/qid=1149522770/sr=2-1/ref=pd_bbs_b_2_1/002-8633530-1973640?s=books&v=glance&n=283155

and

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0007DQ0ZO/qid=1149522922/sr=1-1/ref=sr_1_1/002-8633530-1973640?s=books&v=glance&n=283155

[Publius6961]

Jan Vansina, most famously, brought a sceptical, rational approach to the use of oral traditions as historical sources, much as Leopold von Ranke had brought a sceptical, rational approach to the use of written documents. Historians have always used oral sources, of course, but Vansina's approach represented a methodological advance that brought the use of oral sources up to the standards of the modern scientific history that began with Ranke. Vansina's breakthrough was followed by the increasing use of oral sources in other fields of history.

Herein lies the problem.
"Reconstituting" history is not like just "adding water".
It involves intimately the intention , the biases and the wishful thinking of the "reconstitutioner".

Regadless if his good intentions and expertise, that can never substitute for written documents created by the people whose history is being written. It is simply impossible.

Call it anything you want, but "history" it isn't.

[Publius6961]

You're kidding, right?
That first link leaves out the first 400 years of European footholds and sojourns into the Dark Continent....

[BenLurkin]

No I'm not kidding. These are two fine books.

Always eager to learn, I welcome your recommendations for books on the earlier years of European exploration and initial establishment of footholds on the African continent.

[SunkenCiv]

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Black Spark, White Fire: Did African Explorers Civilize Ancient Europe? by Richard Poe hardcover Richard Poe on FR	Afrocentrism: Mythical Pasts and Imagined Homes by Stephen Howe Africana list	The Black Pharaohs: Egypt's Nubian Rulers by Robert G. Morkot paperback Current News

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[Thombo2]

"Call it anything you want,but history it isn't."Agree.

[zimdog]

Reading a written document employs just as many biases and wishful thoughts as using oral sources. Look at any serious attempt to translate Egyptian or Mayan hieroglyphic inscriptions if you need further proof.

[Docbarleypop]

have you read anything of e pritchet on his time in egypt or with the azande? great works even though they are a bit dated

[BenLurkin]

Do you have a little more information on that?

[Docbarleypop]

E.E. Evans-Pritchards "Witchcraft, Oracles and Magfic among the Azande, 1937, is a great read. (get the abridge version, the unabridged is very very very tedious)It was one of the first modern ethnographies in anthropology. I havent read more than excerpts of his writing from egypt though, but they seem to be quite inciteful as well.

[BenLurkin]

Thank you, I'll look into it.

[SunkenCiv]