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The World and a Very Small Place in Africa: A History of Globalization in Niumi, the Gambia
The World and a Very Small Place in Africa is a fascinating look at how contacts with the wider world have affected how people have lived in Niumi, a small and little-known region at the mouth of West Africa’s Gambia River, for over a thousand years.
Drawing on archives, oral traditions and published works, Donald R. Wright connects world history with real people on a local level through an exploration of how global events have affected life in Niumi. Thoroughly revised and updated throughout, this new edition rests on recent thinking in globalization theory, reflects the latest historiography and has been extended to the present day through discussion of the final years of Gambian President Yahya Jammeh’s regime, the role of global forces in the events of the 2016 presidential elections and the changes that resulted from these elections. The book is supported throughout by photographs, maps and Perspectives boxes that present detailed information on such topics as Alex Haley’s Roots (part set in Niumi), why Gambians take the risky "back way" to reach Europe, or "Wiri-Wiri," the Senegalese soap that has Gambians’ attention.
Written in a clear and personal style and taking a critical yet sensitive approach, it remains an essential resource for students and scholars of African history, particularly those interested in the impact of globalization on the lives of real people.
Drawing on archives, oral traditions and published works, Donald R. Wright connects world history with real people on a local level through an exploration of how global events have affected life in Niumi. Thoroughly revised and updated throughout, this new edition rests on recent thinking in globalization theory, reflects the latest historiography and has been extended to the present day through discussion of the final years of Gambian President Yahya Jammeh’s regime, the role of global forces in the events of the 2016 presidential elections and the changes that resulted from these elections. The book is supported throughout by photographs, maps and Perspectives boxes that present detailed information on such topics as Alex Haley’s Roots (part set in Niumi), why Gambians take the risky "back way" to reach Europe, or "Wiri-Wiri," the Senegalese soap that has Gambians’ attention.
Written in a clear and personal style and taking a critical yet sensitive approach, it remains an essential resource for students and scholars of African history, particularly those interested in the impact of globalization on the lives of real people.
326 pages, Kindle Edition
First published March 1, 1997
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Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
February 17, 2025
Looking at the history of globalization from one fixed location is a really interesting concept
July 4, 2021
Very solid for what it is: a 500+ year history of the northern coast of the The Gambia from pre-colonial era through the shocking 2016 election, with an eye towards contextualizing the changes in this specific place with different forms of globalization / globalized trade over the centuries. Readable, easy to follow, easy to mark up and trace themes: overall a good historical overview with a narrow focus. The older centuries are more grounded in material while the long chapter covering recent years reads more like a development survey for travelers: a high-level culture, gender, human rights, and recent politics overview. Sections on economics are fantastic, explaining the calculated imposition of terrible terms of trade and import-export dependencies in each era by European traders, extractive colonial governments, and self-interested local elites.
The author has subtle biases which he goes to pains not to acknowledge, including an assumption that the reader knows European history and shares Western values (often posed against Muslim values). He relies heavily on Peace Corps volunteers for quotes assessing the state of culture and politics instead of engaging Gambian perspectives. Please keep this criticism in perspective-- the overall book pushes hard against the false notion that there is limited source material to understand daily life and economics in rural West Africa over the centuries. It just loses this grassroots approach in the modern era, perhaps because the author continues to try to write like a historian using once-removed secondary sources instead of journalist or political scientist wrestling with live actors.
The book loses something with its gimmick, because Niumi, the small region on which is focuses, had limited influence regionally throughout the centuries, so the author has to zoom back out to discuss the wider West African and Atlantic history impacting Niumi throughout the book. It would have been a more widely appealing book and more worth the reading time investment if the author stuck to that slightly wider frame.
The author has subtle biases which he goes to pains not to acknowledge, including an assumption that the reader knows European history and shares Western values (often posed against Muslim values). He relies heavily on Peace Corps volunteers for quotes assessing the state of culture and politics instead of engaging Gambian perspectives. Please keep this criticism in perspective-- the overall book pushes hard against the false notion that there is limited source material to understand daily life and economics in rural West Africa over the centuries. It just loses this grassroots approach in the modern era, perhaps because the author continues to try to write like a historian using once-removed secondary sources instead of journalist or political scientist wrestling with live actors.
The book loses something with its gimmick, because Niumi, the small region on which is focuses, had limited influence regionally throughout the centuries, so the author has to zoom back out to discuss the wider West African and Atlantic history impacting Niumi throughout the book. It would have been a more widely appealing book and more worth the reading time investment if the author stuck to that slightly wider frame.
May 25, 2016
This book presented me with a dilemma, should I recommend it as the book to read as an explanatory case on the history of west Africa or warn people not to read it if they haven't read anything on African History in general.
Either way this is an excellent book that should be widely read, studied and discussed. It's pacing is perfect, it is accessible to a wider audience but informative and nuanced to a high degree. It does not present us with a clear answer but allows the reader (most of the time) make up his or her own mind on the matters presented in the book. It is coherent even if spans more then 500 years and succeeds in bringing to live a small place in Africa most people on the planet will have never heard of and proves how this place was part of this world long before globalization as term became fashionable.
Why would I recommend it to people new to the subject and study of the region? For the author was able to discuss a wide array of subjects relevant in the entire region and how it influenced the lives of those living in Niumi. More importantly he never takes away agency, he does point out the limitations of the given situation but never turns to a deterministic stance or strict structuralism that reduces people to cogs in the bigger historical narrative. For instance, on remarking the increasing production of peanuts he refutes claims that was but the first step of binding Africans to outside economies in an unequal way, no he emphasizes that local farmers had very good reasons to do so as had the local elites. The book does not shy away from subjects such as popular culture( growing and smoking of soft drugs) or popular images of the region in the west ( pointing out the historical fallacies in the American classic "roots"), historical fait-divers (the short visit of US president Roosevelt in Gambia during WWII) or zooming in on individuals who could be seen as archetypal exponents of their time and class (such as Kelefa the last great Mandinke warrior). These things make the book a lot less dry ten could have been the case.
But I would also not recommend it because it does cover such a long period of time and he makes use of specific concepts and theories, such as word-system analysis off Wallerstein or the landlord-stranger relationship. He does try his best to explain the concepts and theories he uses, but I can't shake the feeling that if I had not read other books that went into greater details on this, that I would have missed nuance that is vital for any subject. More difficult is the balance between change and continuation, that takes complex form as change is sometimes described as continuation of an old process but to be combined with persistence of traditions, to balance those two processes out does require some reflection. The same goes for his reflection on what has the most impact on the lives of Niumi inhabitants, the local increasingly tyrannical state or the global limitations? He lets the question (more or less) open but it has to be read as an invitation to read more on the matter for this is a difficult question one can't answer based on one book. But perhaps I am a bit to harsh on this matter.
What is without doubt, is the relevance of this book. For emphasizing that parts of Africa have been part of and influenced by lager world encompassing cultural and economic systems for more then half a millennium. For highlighting that the west was not a dominant force until the 19th century (even more so he proves how weak local Europeans were when compared to the might of this little state) and that shift in balance had a much to do with internal Niumi social conflicts as with European affairs. So this book is a crucial tool to be used by those who are appealed by the disdain and stereotypes that are ha-lass still the norm for a large portion of the public when talking about Africa's future. If more people could realize that Africa has had a dynamic history not that different in drama, tragedy and conflict as has any other part of the world, they might think differently about its potential future. But the book has become extremely relevant mostly due to the current migration crisis in the Mediterranean and the high number of Gambians in the migration patterns, if any book is going to convince people that Gambians have solid reasons to leave their homes, it's going to be this one or none.
But what has struck me as the most charming, was how he turns a contemporary forgotten corner of Africa with seemingly no relevance to the world into a integral and fascinating subject in the study of world history. So if you have the time I suggest reading it to all who have little or no knowledge of Africa and to all who do. You will not regret it.
Either way this is an excellent book that should be widely read, studied and discussed. It's pacing is perfect, it is accessible to a wider audience but informative and nuanced to a high degree. It does not present us with a clear answer but allows the reader (most of the time) make up his or her own mind on the matters presented in the book. It is coherent even if spans more then 500 years and succeeds in bringing to live a small place in Africa most people on the planet will have never heard of and proves how this place was part of this world long before globalization as term became fashionable.
Why would I recommend it to people new to the subject and study of the region? For the author was able to discuss a wide array of subjects relevant in the entire region and how it influenced the lives of those living in Niumi. More importantly he never takes away agency, he does point out the limitations of the given situation but never turns to a deterministic stance or strict structuralism that reduces people to cogs in the bigger historical narrative. For instance, on remarking the increasing production of peanuts he refutes claims that was but the first step of binding Africans to outside economies in an unequal way, no he emphasizes that local farmers had very good reasons to do so as had the local elites. The book does not shy away from subjects such as popular culture( growing and smoking of soft drugs) or popular images of the region in the west ( pointing out the historical fallacies in the American classic "roots"), historical fait-divers (the short visit of US president Roosevelt in Gambia during WWII) or zooming in on individuals who could be seen as archetypal exponents of their time and class (such as Kelefa the last great Mandinke warrior). These things make the book a lot less dry ten could have been the case.
But I would also not recommend it because it does cover such a long period of time and he makes use of specific concepts and theories, such as word-system analysis off Wallerstein or the landlord-stranger relationship. He does try his best to explain the concepts and theories he uses, but I can't shake the feeling that if I had not read other books that went into greater details on this, that I would have missed nuance that is vital for any subject. More difficult is the balance between change and continuation, that takes complex form as change is sometimes described as continuation of an old process but to be combined with persistence of traditions, to balance those two processes out does require some reflection. The same goes for his reflection on what has the most impact on the lives of Niumi inhabitants, the local increasingly tyrannical state or the global limitations? He lets the question (more or less) open but it has to be read as an invitation to read more on the matter for this is a difficult question one can't answer based on one book. But perhaps I am a bit to harsh on this matter.
What is without doubt, is the relevance of this book. For emphasizing that parts of Africa have been part of and influenced by lager world encompassing cultural and economic systems for more then half a millennium. For highlighting that the west was not a dominant force until the 19th century (even more so he proves how weak local Europeans were when compared to the might of this little state) and that shift in balance had a much to do with internal Niumi social conflicts as with European affairs. So this book is a crucial tool to be used by those who are appealed by the disdain and stereotypes that are ha-lass still the norm for a large portion of the public when talking about Africa's future. If more people could realize that Africa has had a dynamic history not that different in drama, tragedy and conflict as has any other part of the world, they might think differently about its potential future. But the book has become extremely relevant mostly due to the current migration crisis in the Mediterranean and the high number of Gambians in the migration patterns, if any book is going to convince people that Gambians have solid reasons to leave their homes, it's going to be this one or none.
But what has struck me as the most charming, was how he turns a contemporary forgotten corner of Africa with seemingly no relevance to the world into a integral and fascinating subject in the study of world history. So if you have the time I suggest reading it to all who have little or no knowledge of Africa and to all who do. You will not regret it.
May 25, 2020
This book is long and difficult, as such I was tempted to give it 4 stars, but it is so researched, it is so complete, that it earned 5 stars. This book is essentially a case study in globalization, it shows how events in the world have impacted peoples in the gambia (specifically, the niumi people) for better and for worse. Although it might be dull at parts, it has enough information to make it worthwhile for anyone who desires to understand the african situation in more depth.
January 22, 2016
This is a wonderful book, but it might appeal to a very niche group of readers: people either specifically interested in the history of Gambia, or people that are interested in viewing the last 500+ years of world history through a small place (Niumi, now part of The Gambia) in Africa. I was in this latter group, and had my AP World History students read this. Overall I found it to be fascinating.
November 4, 2019
4th reading? I teach this every year in an introduction to Africa class. I don't know of another African history book that covers such a long duration so concisely, staying readable the whole way even as it attends to the considerable complexities of the region.
October 14, 2024
4/5 stars
Recommended for people who like: history, African history, microcosm vs. macrocosm views, overall global trends
I think overall this is a good book looking at global trends and their impacts on one country, and vice versa, how one country can have an impact on global trends. I was especially delighted by the fact it was about a country I'd never heard of before. I pride myself on my geography and history knowledge, so it was nice to be informed on a place and history I'd never heard of before. It was a rather dense read and there were things I had to go back and re-read, but if you're interested in the topic I'd definitely recommend it and think it's worth the extra effort.
The thing I didn't like about this book was how Wright jumped subjects and then would come back to one after several sections of not talking about it. I've had 'for pleasure' nonfiction books do this too and I always find it slightly aggravating, but since this book was for a class and I needed to be able to take detailed, organized notes, it was especially annoying.
The star was taken off for the fact some of the information dragged on longer than I thought necessary and that Wright could've easily condensed some of his sections and chapters down to create a smaller, less dense book.
Recommended for people who like: history, African history, microcosm vs. macrocosm views, overall global trends
I think overall this is a good book looking at global trends and their impacts on one country, and vice versa, how one country can have an impact on global trends. I was especially delighted by the fact it was about a country I'd never heard of before. I pride myself on my geography and history knowledge, so it was nice to be informed on a place and history I'd never heard of before. It was a rather dense read and there were things I had to go back and re-read, but if you're interested in the topic I'd definitely recommend it and think it's worth the extra effort.
The thing I didn't like about this book was how Wright jumped subjects and then would come back to one after several sections of not talking about it. I've had 'for pleasure' nonfiction books do this too and I always find it slightly aggravating, but since this book was for a class and I needed to be able to take detailed, organized notes, it was especially annoying.
The star was taken off for the fact some of the information dragged on longer than I thought necessary and that Wright could've easily condensed some of his sections and chapters down to create a smaller, less dense book.
August 16, 2011
*Disclaimer* I only fully read the first chapter and then skimmed the second chapter and section introductions. This book is essentially a case study of the Gambia and its relationship to trade networks throughout history. I never would've picked this one up if I wasn't a history teacher - interesting content only if you really want to delve into a very specific subject. I will use bits and pieces in my classroom, as I like the multiple perspective approach used by the author, and I may read the next section next summer, when I have time again...
October 17, 2011
If you ever want to read a well written history of The Gambia (Gambia) this is book to read. It also deals with globalization affecting the African country quite well. Donald Wright visited The Gambia three times before completely the 2nd edition of this book. The first edition was written after he first visited the country in the late 1970s, but to get a really good perspective read the 2nd edition. The difference is not only a whole new chapter written about The Gambia in 2003, but a longer examined perspective of the changes the country has made over the past 20 years ('79-'03).
September 20, 2007
Inspired by the world-system approach of historical sociology, this is an interesting historical account of a small society near the mouth of the Gambia River, reaching back before initial European contact in the 1450s up through 1996. See the first chapter and a few other key sections for what is easily the most readable and accessible (even if slightly simplistic) introduction to the concept of world systems that I can imagine.
November 4, 2010
This book is a fantastic introduction to 1) the economic and political history of the Gambia 2) the history of colonialism and its economic ideologies and their continuing effects on developing nations (i.e. why many post-colonial nations are so poor, how they got to be that way, and who benefits by this state of affairs *spoiler alert: it's us) 3) globalization in general - the author makes the point that globalization (despite the buzz) has been occurring and progressing for centuries.
June 27, 2010
I'm not sure how to nicely put how much i dispised this book. I had to read it for a college class, and i almost fell asleep after every sentence. It was very informational, but its not a book for me. I thought it could have been written SO much more entertaining.
November 18, 2011
This was a very, very worthwhile read that takes one narrow theme and expands it out to provide some insight into the history and present of the world. It's probably the best book I read all semester.
Want to read
September 9, 2011AG rec
April 20, 2012
Very well written but VERY dense. Definitely not for the casual reader.
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews