Africa and the Africans in the nineteenth century: A turbulent history

Great jihads of Muslim conquest and conversion swept over West Africa. In the interior, warlords competed to control the slave trade. In the east, the sultanate of Zanzibar extended its reach via coastal and interior trade routes. In the north, Egypt began to modernize while Algeria was colonized. In the south, waves of forced migrations accelerated, spurred by the progression of white settlement. Through much of century, African societies assimilated and adapted to the changes generated by these many forces. But in the end, the technological advantage prevailed: most of Africa fell under European control and lost its independence. yet this is not where the history should begin. One cannot understand modern Africa-from the colonial period to independence and to the difficulties and successes of today-without a sense of the rich complexity of the tumultuous past. Telling that story from the African point of view is the goal of this celebrated book, now translated from the French edition.