A companion to African history / edited by William H. Worger, Charles Ambler, and Nwando Achebe.

Introduction: Identity and (mis)representations / William H. Worger -- Tracing the roots of common sense about sexuality in Africa / Marc Epprecht -- Masculinities / Stephan F. Miescher -- Colonialism, Christianity, and personhood / Nimi Wariboko -- Settler societies / Nicola Ginsburgh and Will Jackson -- Women, authority and power in southeast Africa: the production and destruction of historical knowledge on Queen Mother Ntombazi and Ndwandwe / Sifiso Mxolisi Ndlovu -- Love, courtship and marriage in Africa / Nwando Achebe -- Slavery and women in Africa : changing definitions, continuing problems / Claire C. Robertson -- Kinship in African history / James Giblin -- Ethnicity in southern Africa / Michael Mahoney -- Ethnicity and race in African thought / Jonathan Glassman -- Islam in African history / Sean Hanretta and Shobana Shankar -- Refugees in African history / Brett Shadle -- Science in Africa : a history of ingenuity and invention in African iron technology / Peter R. Schmidt -- Africa and environmental history / Gregory H. Maddox -- Health and medicine in African history / Karen E. Flint -- Wealth and poverty in African history / Morten Jerven -- The idea of the Atlantic world from an Africanist perspective / Walter Hawthorne -- Swahili literature and the writing of African history / Ann Bierstecker -- Africa and the Cold War / Timothy Scarnecchia -- The Horn of Africa from the Cold War to the War on Terror / Awet T. Weldemichael -- The art of memory and the Chancery of Sinnar / Jay Spaulding -- Apartheid forgotten and remembered / Nancy L. Clark and William H. Worger -- Cultural resistance on Robben Island : songs of struggle and liberation in southern Africa / Neo Lekgotla laga Ramoupi -- African historians and popular culture / Charles Ambler.

Covers the history of the entire African continent, from prehistory to the present day A Companion to African History embraces the diverse regions, subject matter, and disciplines of the African continent, while also providing chronological and geographical coverage of basic historical developments. Two dozen essays by leading international scholars explore the challenges facing this relatively new field of historical inquiry and present the dynamic ways in which historians and scholars from other fields such as archaeology, anthropology, political science, and economics are forging new directions in thinking and research.' Comprised of six parts, the book begins with thematic approaches to African history, exploring the environment, gender and family, medical practices, and more. Section two covers Africa's early history and its pre-colonial past'early human adaptation, the emergence of kingdoms, royal power, and warring states. The third section looks at the era of the slave trade and European expansion. Part four examines the process of conquest'the discovery of diamonds and gold, military and social response, and more. Colonialism is discussed in the sixth section, with chapters on the economy transformed due to the development of agriculture and mining industries. The last section studies the continent from post World War II all the way up to modern times. -Aims at capturing the enthusiasms of practicing historians, and encouraging similar passion in a new generation of scholars -Emphasizes linkages within Africa as well as between the continent and other parts of the world -All chapters include significant historiographical content and suggestions for further reading -Written by a global team of writers with unique backgrounds and views -Features case studies with illustrative examples In a field traditionally marked by narrow specialisms, A Companion to African History is an ideal book for advanced students, researchers, historians, and scholars looking for a broad yet unique overview of African history as a whole.