History of Africa

By Kevin Shillington

Book Overview

This best-selling core history textbook offers a richly illustrated, single-volume, narrative introduction to African history authored by a highly respected authority in the field.

Bringing the continent to life with 202 photographs and 96 maps in full colour, the fifth edition includes a new primary source feature that highlights African voices throughout history, an expanded chapter on contemporary Africa, and new material on women, gender and the environment.

From the terracotta sculptures made by our early ancestors, to discovering the Empire of Mali's status in the medieval world, through to Ibrahim Traor 's rise to power in modern Burkina Faso--the scope of History of Africa is unrivalled, both geographically and chronologically. While many competitors limit themselves to certain regions or eras, Shillington accounts for the entire continent, from prehistory right up to the present day, with an easy-to-follow chronological structure.

Retaining its widely praised engaging and readable style, combined with new, African-centric primary sources, the fifth edition of Shillington's History of Africa is the authoritative textbook for students of African History.

New to this edition:
-'Engaging with the Evidence' primary source feature in each section shines a light on African voices and encourages historical interpretation.
-Comprehensive online primary source collection and methodology guide for lecturers and students, curated by experts teaching in the field.
-Two new chapters and revisions providing greater coverage of Africa's ancient kingdoms and the Early Iron Age in west Africa.
-Revised and expanded chapter on contemporary Africa, including the events of 2016-2026
-Greater coverage of women, gender and the environment throughout.
-Fully revised and updated in light of recent research.

Accompanying online resources for this title provide additional support for teaching and learning, including primary source materials and guidance for students and instructors.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 135053854X
• ISBN13: 9781350538542
• Release Date: January 2027
• Publisher: Bloomsbury Academic
• Length: 624 Pages
• Weight: 1.11 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.1" x 7.6" x 10.2"

Customer Reviews

Great book must have.

Must have in your library

The scars of Western democracy?

Imperialistic colonization and foreign domination are a stain on the forehead of democracy. But since when monopolization of ethical thoughts under the pretext of urban development and building a nation fed by foreign interests paved the way to progress and national prosperity? This book might appear as anti- European propaganda, but it is not. The severe tone of the book is not to be ignored, and I admit the arguments lack historic foundation, nevertheless, the scars of African sufferings are still bleeding, and there is a powerful lesson to learn from this book.

concise and thoughtful, without being superficial

I had the good fortune to be introduced to this book by reading it aloud as a volunteer for Recording for the Blind & Dyslexic. Shillington builds a lucid case that the decline of the Egyptian civilization coincided with a shift away from trade and toward imperial domination -- which failed over long distances. Each chapter provides a clear perspective and a compelling read. High praise for a textbook!

Admirable Intention

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.

Excellent survey for the first-time reader

Extremely well written and hard to put down.Shillington has an obvious affection for Africa, but I expected it and allowed for it. I'd recommend this book to anyone looking for a first survey of African history.I would like to have seen more maps, with less information on each map. I'm not sure the book would make a good text for college, but it makes a great book for general reading.

Absolutely outstanding for survey courses!

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.