- Paperback: 433 pages
- Publisher: Palgrave MacMillan; Rev Sub edition (Aug 1995)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 0312125984
- ISBN-13: 978-0312125981
- Product Dimensions: 24.7 x 18.9 x 2.5 cm
- Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 1,297,936 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- See Complete Table of Contents
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Did you know you can trade in your old books for an Amazon.co.uk Gift Card to spend on the things you want? Plus, get an extra £5 Gift Certificate when you trade in books worth £10 or more before June 30, 2012. Visit the Books Trade-In Store for more details. |
|
There is a newer edition of this item:
|
Product details |
More About the Author
Product Description
Review
"A work with many virtues...stylistic lucidity, profusion of clear maps and excellent illustrations."--"International Journal of African Historical Studies"
--This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.
--This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.
Product Description
In a single volume, "History of Africa" offers an illustrated and critical narrative introduction to the history of the continent from earliest times to the present day. Building on the book's established reputation, in this revised 2nd edition, the author draws on the most recent and up-to-date research to convey something of the wealth and depth of Africa's long and fascinating past.
--This text refers to an alternate
Paperback
edition.
Tag this product(What's this?)Think of a tag as a keyword or label you consider is strongly related to this product.
Tags will help all customers organise and find favourite items. |
Sell a Digital Version of This Book in the Kindle Store
If you are a publisher or author and hold the digital rights to a book, you can sell a digital version of it in our Kindle Store.
Learn more
What Other Items Do Customers Buy After Viewing This Item?
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
A remarkable book about Africa that takes you into time, written by an author who has a balanced judgment of the land, its past, its people , their strength and their weaknesses as well as the irrepressible forces that are the continent's future.Also recommended: Shake Zulu, Disciples of fortune, Africans and Their History, Triple Agent Double Cross, The usurper and Other stories, Hannibal
Format:Paperback
Shillington's tome races through the whole tale of Africa, sketching the big picture, but often with little time for more than names and dates. At many points, such as the 1960 crisis in the newly independent Congo, he exposes the bias of previously prevailing accounts. The emphasis is deliberately positive, emphasizing people's accomplishments or heroic struggles against adversity. But I couldn't help but be freshly shocked by the longstanding traditions of businesspeople or politicians treating their customers with naked contempt.
For example, we have this typical item concerning Sudan in the mid-1800s: "The European, Egyptian and Sudanese merchants based in Khartoum ... found it more profitable to raid than to trade and the Egyptian government placed no restrictions on their activities on the upper Nile" (p. 281).
Across Africa, the companies and governments of the both colonial and post-colonial eras launched massive schemes, supposedly for the development of Africa: "But in practice the system was widely open to abuse, mainly because it was motivated purely by short-term private profit ... the companies concentrated on the violent expropriation of the people and their natural resources" (pp. 332-333).
The armies and police forces evicted farmers from their land, enforced economic and political monopolies, and crushed any customers who protested. Instead of trying to earn their customers' patronage, these business and political leaders commonly took whatever they wanted by violence.
Shillington does offer glimpses of a different emerging reality, where businesses and governments have to earn rather than enforce support from the customers. We catch sight of community-based development and women's initiative in places like Botswana, Kenya, or Burkina Faso.
The whole story has both hopeful and disturbing implications for the global future of corporate and political power. How does a "for profit" system work when the leaders of great institutions have little but contempt for their workers and customers? And how does that change?
For example, we have this typical item concerning Sudan in the mid-1800s: "The European, Egyptian and Sudanese merchants based in Khartoum ... found it more profitable to raid than to trade and the Egyptian government placed no restrictions on their activities on the upper Nile" (p. 281).
Across Africa, the companies and governments of the both colonial and post-colonial eras launched massive schemes, supposedly for the development of Africa: "But in practice the system was widely open to abuse, mainly because it was motivated purely by short-term private profit ... the companies concentrated on the violent expropriation of the people and their natural resources" (pp. 332-333).
The armies and police forces evicted farmers from their land, enforced economic and political monopolies, and crushed any customers who protested. Instead of trying to earn their customers' patronage, these business and political leaders commonly took whatever they wanted by violence.
Shillington does offer glimpses of a different emerging reality, where businesses and governments have to earn rather than enforce support from the customers. We catch sight of community-based development and women's initiative in places like Botswana, Kenya, or Burkina Faso.
The whole story has both hopeful and disturbing implications for the global future of corporate and political power. How does a "for profit" system work when the leaders of great institutions have little but contempt for their workers and customers? And how does that change?
Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)
Amazon.com:
16 reviews
21 of 23 people found the following review helpful
A Good Analysis of Africa
15 Feb 2004
Format:Paperback
Shillington provides a good survey style textbook on African history from antiquity to the modern period. He covers in great detail and quality of the relationship between Africa and Islam as well as the nature of slavery and apartheid. He covers the slave trade in quite a bit of detail, explaining the value of the African as a marketable commodity. He also explains the origins of apartheid as a colonial parting gift that became entrenched racist national policy for more than fifty years. Shillington's survey is quite appropriate for a high school African history class, an undergraduate African history survey or introduction or even as a first book for a graduate African history course. The topics covered here are obviously from an Africanist point of view although there is a minimum, if any, level of bias on Shillington's part.
34 of 40 people found the following review helpful
Absolutely outstanding for survey courses!
8 Mar 1999
Format:Paperback
Kevin Shillington's organization and structure serve well the one semester survey course in African history. There are 29 chapters from pre-history to post-independence Africa. The maps are excellent - the best I have seen. The book does not get bogged down into too much detail but has the most important concepts, people and events. We use it at the Air Force Academy every year with no plans to change in the near future.
19 of 21 people found the following review helpful
Admirable Intention
22 Jan 2004
Format:Paperback
The book is written from an African point of view, which is badly needed in the current world of academia. Shillington does a great job of portraying things from the "other side". The only defect is that he can sometimes be too sympathetic to the other side and penalize westerners, giving the book a slight bias. Despite this, it is an excellent book for getting a look into African history from another angle.
Were these reviews helpful?
Let us know
Listmania!
Look for similar items by category
Look for similar items by subject
Feedback
- Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
- I am the Author, and I want to comment on my book.
- I am the Publisher, and I want to comment on this book.
