West Africa before the Colonial Era: A History to 1850 / Edition 1

by Basil Davidson

Overview

This is a survey of pre-colonial West Africa, written by the internationally respected author and journalist, Basil Davidson. He takes as his starting point his successful textA History of West Africa 1000-1800, but he has reworked his new text specially for a wider international readership. In the process he offers a fascinating introduction to the rich societies and cultures of Africa before the coming of the Europeans.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780582318533
Publisher:	Taylor & Francis
Publication date:	07/16/1998
Edition description:	New Edition
Pages:	272
Product dimensions:	6.12(w) x 9.19(h) x (d)

About the Author

Basil Davidson

Table of Contents

1. The Early Centuries of Emergence: An Introduction. 2. Emergence of Trading States and Empires. 3. Pioneers in Ancient Ghana. 4. The Majesty of Mali. 5. Songhay Achievement. 6. Kanem-Bornu and the Hausa States. 7. Early Senegambia. 8. The Forest Kingdoms. 9. On the Threshold of Modern Times. 10. The Arts, Religion and Learning.
11. The Organisation of Society. 12. New Pressures. 13. Origins and Growth of the Atlantic Slave Trade. 14. Senegambia After AD 1700. 15. The Union of the Golden Stool. 16. After Great Disasters. Index.

Editorial Reviews

"This is an unusually compelling and impressive history of the cultures, societies and polities of a major region of the world before the advent of formal colonial rule.""An immensely valuable introduction to the pre-colonial history of West Africa [...] which deserves to be widely earmarked as essential by the drafters of reading lists." English historical review, 1999

From the Publisher